Through Thick and Thin
by Ann Parker
Summary: Part three of my Sarah series. Life was great for the Reid familyexcept for that ticking clock in the back of Spencer's mind and a case that stirs up all kinds of trouble. Will they be able to support each other through this hard time? MG as well!
1. Birthday Boy

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. It is the property of Mark R. Gordon and CBS. I do, however, own the character Sarah Riverson and any original characters involved in her past. Not that I'll ever make any money from that…I also don't own any songs that may pop up throughout. In this chapter – "Tell Me 'About it" by Joss Stone.

Author's Note: The long awaited Part Three of the Sarah Riverson series is here! Hope it lives up to expectations. I'm shooting for updating every week or so, just as a reference. Hopefully my beta reader (Thanks Dassa Mudruffin) and I can manage this story as our final semester of college progresses. I also just wanted to state that the towns of Carterville and West Lake, although loosely based on real places they don't actually exist. They will be showing up soon. Anyway, Enjoy!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter One: Birthday Boy

By Ann Parker

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Ellen Glasgow once said, "It is lovely, when I forget all birthdays, including my own, to find that somebody remembers me."

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Reid rolled over in bed, his senses suddenly being attacked by several different stimuli. The rays of sunshine penetrated his eyelids as he fluttered them open. He glanced at the alarm clock, which flashed 10:15 back at him in bright red. He momentarily freaked out, thinking he overslept, when he remembered it was Sunday. A Sunday he actually had off, well, at least currently. As he continued to regain consciousness, his other senses fired at him. The smell of something heavenly was coming from the doorway and down the stairs, as did the sound of music. And, if he listened carefully, he could hear Sarah's voice singing along to it. He couldn't stop the smile that crept across his face.

He sat up and grabbed a t-shirt and his pajama pants from the floor, quickly throwing them on. Pushing the hair out of his face, he made his way out of the bedroom and down the second story hallway. He stopped at Lucas Jason's (or LJ as they liked to call him) room, but noticed the crib was empty through the half opened door. He headed down the stairway that opened up near the front of the house. Unlocking the front door, he stuck his head out only to not find the morning paper. She had apparently thought of everything. Making his way through the hall that led to the kitchen, he couldn't help but grin at the pictures she had hung up along the wall a few months prior. There was a photo of the two of them with his mother, the two of them dancing, and a group shot of them with the team – all from the wedding. There was a photo of them on the beach from the their honeymoon, where she had forced him to wear a ridiculously hideous Hawaiian shirt. There were photos from the day after LJ's birth and several shots of them together as a family after that. He could hardly believe that he was in those photos some days. Sure, he had always hoped deep down that he might find someone, fall in love and start a family, but he never actually thought it would happen. Not to him.

The grumble from his stomach forced him to focus on why he was in the hallway in the first place and he finished his journey into the kitchen. He leaned against the wall by the dinner table and smiled at the sight before him. LJ was in his playpen playing with the building blocks Hotch had given him. Sarah was making breakfast, but that wasn't why he was smiling. She had her hair pulled back in a messy bun, a few strands lightly grazing her neck, and was dancing and singing to the music in a tank top and a pair of his boxers, all while cooking. It was the simple, silly things like this that he loved the most about her. He watched as she flipped the pancakes she was making and stirred the scrambled eggs. No wonder he had put on some much needed weight since they got married. She, however, had managed to pretty easily get back to her pre-pregnancy weight even with the way she cooked. Although, that probably had more to do with her going to the gym that she tried to drag him to than anything else.

She grabbed some orange juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses before putting it back. She then opened the oven door, pulling out two plates she had warmed up. He couldn't stop himself from watching her as she moved around their kitchen. Last month, around their one year anniversary, Morgan asked him if the "honeymoon" stage had worn off yet. After he explained to him what that was when Reid looked at him with a blank stare, he was glad to simply smile and shake his head. There were many times when he had to keep himself from grabbing her right then and there no matter where they were or what they were doing.

Her voice pulled him back to the present as she grabbed the spatula she was using and sang Joss Stone's "Tell Me 'Bout it" into it like a microphone. Wait, how had he remembered the singer's name? Her education on music appeared to be sticking. Shaking his head, he watched her belt out a part of the song.

"I'll make you feel the way you wanna feel

I love how it's real, we're one in two minds

Maybe it will stick, you'd better be quick

I hope that you heard me right

Tell me, tell me, cause I won't wait, suspense I just hate, so spit it out now

If you're feeling like I do, won't you come and do it to me."

"Okay," he replied and watched as she spun around to see him standing there. Grinning, he walked over to her.

"How long have you standing there?" she asked, slightly embarrassed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly.

"Long enough to get a good show," he teased, kissing her again. "Good morning."

"Morning," she replied with a smile, pulling away from him and turning back to the food. "You're just in time too." She placed two pancakes, a scoop of eggs, and a handful of green grapes on each of the plates. She handed him one and a glass of juice. They walked quietly over to the table and set down their plates.

"What's with the feast?" he asked as she walked back to get silverware and syrup. He noticed that she didn't answer, but just had a confused look on her face when she returned.

"You actually don't remember?" she asked. He noticed a slight amount of sadness in her voice as he shook his head. She sighed softly and walked over to the playpen, picking up LJ and a piece of paper that was in there. She handed LJ the paper and made her way back to him. "Hand it to daddy," she instructed softly. Reid watched as little LJ, now just eight months old and who had clearly inherited some of his brains, nodded at her and cooed slightly, handing him the blue construction paper.

Reid smiled at LJ, messing up his mop of brown hair just like his father's, before looking down at the paper. In Sarah's handwriting it clearly stated, "Happy Birthday Daddy!" The rest was covered with little scribbles by LJ. He sighed, how had be forgotten his own birthday? Sure, he had gone years without celebrating it, but the team had made sure to fix that since he started working at the BAU. How had forgotten it this year? Shaking his head, he looked back up at his family and smiled.

"It's beautiful, LJ. Thank you," he replied. LJ reached out to him and he took him from Sarah's arms and hugged his son. "That's the best present I've ever received." He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sarah had walked back into the kitchen. He hoped had hadn't hurt her by not remembering his birthday. She had clearly put some thought into this and it had gone right over his head.

She emerged a few seconds later with a small plate of food – some baby food and a few pieces of a pancake – and a sippy cup, pulling up the high chair. "Okay, time to eat you two," she commented. Reid put LJ into the high chair as Sarah set down the food for him. Before she could make her way back to her seat, he pulled her back to him and into his lap. He didn't give her time to respond, kissing her passionately.

"Thank you," he whispered when he pulled back for air. "Sorry I forgot." She tapped his nose.

"That's okay, the day is still young. Happy Birthday Spencer," she replied. He placed his hands on her back and kissed her again. She giggled slightly when they separated. "Okay, stop, the food is going to get cold."

"Who cares," he replied, kissing her again.

"LJ doesn't need to learn how he came to be just yet," she countered again. "Particularly not at the dining room table." He sighed as she climbed off of him and sat down at her seat. "Don't worry, though," she added as they began to eat. She took a quick bite and then turned to LJ to give him some of the pancake. "Garcia and Morgan agreed to baby-sit tonight so we'll have time for that later." He noticed the twinkle in her eyes and laughed. For not remembering his birthday, he was certainly going to have a good one.

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	2. Tick Tock

**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Two: Tick Tock

By Ann Parker

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Percy Bysshe Shelly once said, "Soul meets soul on lover's lips."

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"Coming!" Sarah came running down the stairs, trying to put an earring in and answer the door at the same time. She swung the door open right after clasping one of the diamond earrings that Reid had given her for her birthday months earlier. "Hey guys, come on in," she greeted Morgan and Garcia.

"Damn, girl, you clean up nice," Morgan teased. Sarah was wearing a little black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She smiled at Morgan's girlfriend and opened her mouth to reply when she was cut off.

"Stop hitting on my wife, Morgan," Reid joked from the top of the stairs, carrying LJ down. "Besides, you've got quite the attractive woman of your own." He smiled at Garcia as he reached them at the bottom. LJ immediately reached out to the quirky blond.

"Thanks, birthday boy," Garcia smiled, taking the young boy from his father. "There's my favorite man," she cooed at LJ as she tickled him. His son's giggle immediately brought a smile to Reid's face.

"Hey," pouted Morgan.

"Please, Morgan. LJ behaves better than you. No wonder he's her favorite," stated Sarah with a smile. She then ran up the stairs before the older agent could reply. Morgan shook his head and turned to Reid.

"So, how does it feel to be 27? You're almost old enough to drink now," teased Morgan.

"Ha, ha. Fine, I guess. It feels about the same as 26," he replied. He could feel Morgan studying him a little due to his response. Sarah came back down carrying LJ's overnight bag and her heels at that moment, sparing him from being profiled. He was happy to be 27, but there was also something nagging at the back of his mind. He didn't want to talk about it right now, though.

"Here's his bag," Sarah said, handing it to Morgan. "Thanks again for watching him tonight. We'll pick him up in the morning before heading to the office."

"Nonsense," stated Garcia. "He goes to the daycare center in the building anyway. We can bring him with us in the morning. I'm sure his other aunts and uncles that would love to see him."

"You mean aunts, uncle, and grandpa," smiled Reid.

Morgan laughed, "Yeah, you call Gideon that."

Sarah looked at her best friend, "Are you sure?"

Garcia smiled, "Of course. Besides, this big lug needs the practice." Everyone laughed as Morgan's eyes just about popped out of his head.

"Why do I need practice? You're not…"

"Calm down, Mr. Panicky. I'm not, but I want to be someday. Got a problem with that?" Garcia questioned.

"No, no," Morgan quickly replied. Reid and Sarah exchanged a glance. The couple before them had been officially together shortly after their wedding in Vegas. They were close to doing the same, but he had yet to ask. And, apparently, the conversation about children hadn't been officially discussed. But it sounded like it was going to be covered after they left. "Of course I want to have children with you, Pen. I wanna see you waddling around your office talking to your other babies about the one kicking you in the stomach," he grinned, the playful glint back in his eyes.

Garcia smacked him in the arm, "You think you're so cute, don't you?" Morgan winked at her and she grinned. "Okay, let's allow the lovely couple here to get to dinner. See you in the morning."

"Good night, thanks again," Sarah replied. She kissed LJ on the forehead before the three left. She closed the door and turned back to her husband. "We need to get going if we're---" Reid cut her off with a kiss, pinning her against the door. "---going to make that reservation," she finished when he pulled back.

"Let's not go," he offered, kissing her again.

"But it's supposed to be a really nice restaurant. I had to call six weeks in advance," she countered, even though he began to kiss her neck and her resolve was weakening.

"There's some good leftover pizza in the fridge," he argued, kissing the spot by her ear that made her go weak. He smiled to himself as her knees buckled and she moaned softly. This was exactly what he wanted for his birthday. He scooped her up into his arms and she wrapped hers around his neck, dropping the heels that were in her hand.

She looked up into his eyes as he began to climb the stairs. "Are you sure this is how you want to spend the rest of your birthday?"

He grinned and kissed her again. "I can't think of a better way," he said as he carried her into their bedroom. Her sweet giggle consumed him as he laid her down on their bed.

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"Oh, I almost forgot," Sarah said as she detangled herself from both Reid and then the sheets. She threw on his old t-shirt from the floor and left the bedroom, leaving him to his thoughts. Something a bit dangerous to do, although she didn't know it. He sighed as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He felt the clock ticking in the back of mind and he wondered if the alarm would ever go off or if it would just be on permanent snooze. Could he handle it if the alarm went off? Could she?

Sarah slipped back into the bed and held out a brightly colored gift, distracting him. "Happy Birthday," she whispered as he took the gift from her. He could already tell it was a book, but what could she have found that he didn't already have? He smiled at her as he ripped off the paper. As the gift unveiled itself to him, he gasped.

"How did you find this?" he asked as he ran his fingers over a first edition of Chaucer's _The Canterbury Tales_.

"I have some connections," she teased. He bent over and kissed her deeply. Never had he received such a thoughtful gift.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips, kissing her once more.

"You're welcome. I love you Spencer." Their lips met again right after he carefully set the book on the nightstand before wrapping his arms around her again.

"I love you so much."

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	3. No Fun

Author's Note: Gah….sorry for the delay!!! School…yeah.

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Three: No Fun

By Ann Parker

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Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "The most instructive experiences are those of everyday life."

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"Is that who I think it is?" Gideon asked the next morning when he had emerged out of the break room with some coffee. He had noticed Garcia and Morgan exiting the elevator.

"Nope, sorry, just carrying some other baby into the office," teased Garcia as they made their way over to Gideon, JJ, and Emily. Hotch was already in his office and the Reids weren't in yet. LJ looked around the office with curiosity until he spotted Gideon. He fidgeted in Garcia's arms and made a slight grunting noise.

"Well, looks like someone wants you to hold him." The group looked up at the balcony to see Hotch smiling down at them. Gideon smiled as he took LJ into his arms. The young child hugged him and giggled, and the scene brought smiles to everyone's faces.

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"You seem a little quiet this morning, everything okay?" Sarah asked as they rode the elevator. Reid sighed softly to himself; he had learned long ago that he couldn't really hide anything from her.

"Just been thinking about something," he commented.

She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, "Want to talk about it?"

He smiled and lightly touched her long, brown ponytail. He loved the feeling of her hair between his fingers. "Maybe a little later." She nodded and tapped his nose right when the elevator doors opened on their floor. They could hear laughter from their team and smiled at each other.

"Ah, Agent Reid, Agent Riverson, your child has completely distracted my team," commented Hotch when he spotted them. Sarah still used her maiden name at work to avoid confusion. At that comment, JJ and Emily stepped aside to reveal Gideon sitting on the stairs, blowing raspberries on LJ's stomach, making the child's laughter fill the office. Not exactly what you'd expect to see when walking into the federal building.

Sarah smiled, "Jason, hand me the child." Gideon looked up at his adopted son and daughter, but ignored them. She sighed; fine, if he wants to be that way. "Grandpa, please give me your grandson." Gideon sighed; he hated it when she called him that. Made him sound older than he felt…most days.

"Garcia, you should have just taken him to the daycare center," added Reid as Sarah managed to pry her son out of Gideon's arms.

"Where's the fun in that, sugar?" she teased.

"Yes, well, the fun is over I'm afraid," added Hotch. Everyone looked up at him. "Conference room in 5." The group nodded and Sarah took the overnight bag from Morgan, propping up LJ on her hip.

"Say goodbye to daddy," she whispered. Reid smiled as his son waved at him before he reached over and kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back."

"I'll get you some coffee," he offered as she started to walk away. She turned and smiled at him as she walked onto the elevator. He couldn't stop the smile that crept across his face at the site of them. That was why he didn't notice Gideon come stand next to him as the rest got ready to meet Hotch.

"Have a good birthday?" Gideon asked after a few minutes.

Reid turned to him and smiled. "It was great." They walked together into the break room so Reid could get the coffee. "Except that I forgot about it until she reminded me," he added. Gideon chuckled slightly as Reid poured two cups and put a little sugar and cream in hers before dumping a bunch of sugar in his.

"Was she mad?" Gideon asked as Reid stirred the cups. He shook his head and grabbed the cups. They headed out the door and up the stairs. "Did you like your present?" Gideon added after a few seconds.

Reid smiled, "I should have known that you were her connection. Yes, I love it." They didn't notice that Sarah had returned and was now just a few steps behind them.

"I only connected her with my contact at the Smithsonian. She took it from there. I do know it was quite the search, though," Gideon replied.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to tell him," stated Sarah from behind, causing both men to turn in surprise. She grabbed her cup of coffee from Reid and took a sip. "You just can't keep a secret, can you, Jason?" she teased, walking past them. The men looked at each other and smiled, following her into the conference room. They took their seats as JJ began her presentation.

"There is a rapist loose in Carterville, Wisconsin. Three girls, all sixteen," JJ started, putting their pictures up on the screen. "The first victim, Melissa Wess, was raped and killed two months ago. Tiffany Durran was found one month ago. Both were strangled after being raped and dumped in the local woods. Both were last seen at the town's bowling alley before being attacked."

"What about the third victim?" asked Morgan as the group looked over the crime scene photos.

"Erin Jonas was raped last night, but escaped from her attacker and made it into a local convenience store before he could catch her. She's under protective custody at the hospital in West Lake, about 45 minutes away from Carterville," JJ replied.

"Can she identify her attacker?" asked Emily.

"We don't know. She hasn't spoken a word since it happened except for 'raped' to the clerk at the store." Once JJ stated this, Hotch turned to Sarah.

"Riverson, you're on this one," he stated. It was decided that until LJ was a little older, only one of the Reids would go on location for a case, unless it was so difficult it required both of them. They sometimes would be able to leave him with Hailey, but they didn't want to do that every time they had a case. It wasn't fair to Hailey or LJ. Instead, who ever was left behind would simply help Garcia and call if they found something of interest. Sarah tended to handle rape cases and ones involving children, whereas Reid dealt with the arsonists and serial killers.

Sarah nodded, "On it."

"Good. Plane's up in twenty," Hotch stated and the group began to get ready to leave. Soon everyone but Sarah and Reid were left in the room.

"Guess we'll have to have that talk when I get back," she stated.

"Guess so," he smiled. He glanced behind him to make sure they were alone, and once satisfied they were, wrapped his arms around her waist. "Love you."

She smiled as she pulled him to her, leaving him with a sweet, soft kiss. "Love you too," she replied when she pulled away. He let his arms fall away, knowing she needed to get going. "You boys behave while I'm gone," she teased as she headed out the door.

Reid smiled, "You're no fun!"

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	4. The Locals

A/N: Thanks for the continued support everyone; your reviews brighten my day. I just wanted to state something quickly about the secondary characters that will appear in this chapter (and future ones). As previously stated, these towns in Wisconsin and the characters are fictional, however, almost my entire extended family is from Wisconsin. So, language, attitudes, behaviors are loosely based on what I've experienced. If you are also from this area, I hope you don't take any offence---it's not meant to be insulting in any way. It's just what it is like, at least to me. Oh, and I realize this might sound confusing/odd, but you'll probably see what I mean when you read.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Four: The Locals

By Ann Parker

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William Cowper once wrote, "God made the country, and man made the town."

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When the team landed at the small airport near West Lake, they were immediately hit with crisp, cool air. The chill was starting to set in back in Virginia, but it was already about ten degrees cooler in northern Wisconsin. Then again, it was October already. Sarah hugged her jacket to her as they deboarded and began to split up. Morgan would go with her to the hospital while the rest headed into Carterville and interviewed the families with the local deputy that greeted them upon arrival. She tossed Morgan the keys to their SUV and they climbed in.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Morgan asked as they started towards the hospital.

Sarah looked over at him with curiosity. That was an unusual request from the senior agent. "Sure, what's up Derek?"

"How did Reid propose exactly?" he asked, staring straight ahead.

Sarah laughed slightly, "Trying to figure out how to ask Pen?" He nodded and smiled faintly. She shook her head; it was a rare sight to see the macho Derek Morgan flustered. "Well, if you really want to know, we were laying in bed after having sex…"

"Okay, maybe I don't want to know," Morgan interrupted and Sarah laughed.

"Too bad, now you get to hear the rest!" she teased as he groaned. "Anyway, a song I love about not needing words to communicate came on and he simply slipped the ring on my finger when I wasn't looking. After I realized what he did is when he actually asked."

"Ah…okay."

Sarah smiled, "Didn't help much, did it? Look, whatever you decide, I'm sure she'll say yes and that's all that really matters, isn't?" Morgan pulled into a parking spot at the hospital and they climbed out.

"I suppose you're right," he sighed as they walked past the red and orange leaves of the few trees decorating the front of the hospital. Sarah smiled softly and lightly punched him in the arm before they entered the front of the hospital and made their way to the front desk.

"Excuse us," Sarah greeted the middle-aged desk clerk, who's blond, turning gray, hair was swept up in a bun. The woman looked up and smiled. Morgan noted the dark green and yellow scrubs she was wearing and smiled to himself. They pulled out their badges, "Agents Morgan and Riverson, we're---"

"FBI agents! Well, for cripes sake, what ya doing way up here?" the clerk asked, her accent ever present in each word.

"I got it from here, Janet." Morgan and Sarah turned to see what appeared to be the sheriff approaching them from down a hallway. "Hey dere, I'm Sheriff Kass, thank ya for coming."

"Not a problem, Sheriff. I'm Agent Morgan, this is Agent Riverson," Morgan greeted. They shook hands and started back down the hallway.

"I'd like to talk to Erin as soon as possible," Sarah stated.

"She ain't really talking, but ya can try," Kass replied. They climbed into the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor. When the doors opened, Kass escorted them down another hallway until they spotted another deputy standing guard at a door. "Here she is."

"Thank you," Sarah replied. She slowly opened the door to see the young girl with curly, blond hair spread across her pillow and cuts and bruises on her otherwise smooth, ivory skin starring right through her. She was clearly still in a haze. A slightly older woman with similar hair (obviously Erin's mother) was clutching the young girl's hand. She looked up at Sarah when she entered, pain visible on her features.

"Who?" was all the woman could get out before her voice cracked slightly. Sarah smiled sympathetically and showed the woman her badge.

"My name is Sarah. I was hoping Erin and I could talk," she offered. The woman looked at her daughter before turning back to Sarah. Sarah could see the panic in her eyes. "I promise she'll be safe, ma'am." Sighing, the woman nodded and turned back to her daughter once more.

"I'll be right back, sweetie," she squeezed her hand and stood up to kiss the girl's forehead. Erin didn't react, and just continued to stare ahead. Mrs. Jonas sighed softly and left the room. Sarah walked over to the opposite side the mother had occupied and took a seat. She allowed herself a few seconds to take in the wounds. He had beaten her as he raped her – there were bruises all down her arms and probably her torso and legs, which were covered at the moment. He was apparently very angry. There was bruising around her neck; he had almost succeeded in killing her before she escaped. They needed to know how she managed that.

"Hello Erin. My name is Sarah. I want to talk to you for awhile." Erin actually made eye contact with her, but remained silent. That was at least a positive sign. "I understand why you don't want to talk and I'm not going to force you to, but I want you to know that I know what you're feeling and keeping it inside will only let him win."

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Reid sat in the conference room, the files from the case spread out all over the round table, trying to see if he could find something to help the others. That and he was trying to focus on the case in order to not let his mind get the better of him. Even though she had been working with them for almost two years, he still got nervous when she went on a case without him. He knew she could take care of herself and that the team watched out for each other, but he always wanted to be there to protect her. She needed to always be safe to be there for LJ. In case he couldn't.

"Find anything?"

Reid just about jumped out of his chair at the sound of Garcia's voice from the doorway. "Ah, no. Not yet anyway," he replied, trying to cover up his surprise. "Have they called at all?"

"Nope, but I've got my headset on to be ready," she replied, taking a seat at the table and propping up her feet. Reid smiled at her relaxed nature. He didn't think Garcia ever realized just how much she made him relax just by being in her presence. She did that for the entire team, particularly Morgan.

"Comfortable?" he teased as he picked up one of the photos to reexamine it.

"You know it, sweet pea," she replied with a smile. Reid chuckled slightly and then tried to focus back on the case.

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"Did you get much?" asked Hotch as Emily and Gideon walked back into the small conference room at the Sheriff's office. JJ was checking to see what exactly had been released to the local press to help get a feel for how the town was reacting. They knew news traveled fast in a small town like Carterville, but they wanted to know just what that news was.

"Not a great deal," replied Gideon, taking a seat at the table and sighing. Something about this case was bothering him, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. Emily studied the map of where the girls had been found. The town was virtually surrounded by woods and lakes, except for its neighboring small towns.

"There is a lot of area for the unsub to dump the victim's bodies. How do we know there aren't any more out there?" she asked.

"This da deer hunting capital of da country, ma'am." Hotch, Gideon, and Emily turned to the young deputy that had escorted them from West Lake standing in the doorway. "Hunters are always out dere checking da land. If there was a body, we'd know 'bout it."

"When is hunting season, Deputy Schultz?" asked Gideon.

The deputy, a young man with statuesque features, smiled and tipped his hat a little. "Well, da bow season's already started up, but da gun season is a coming up in da beginning of November."

"That's only a few weeks away," added Hotch. "Is there a rather large turn out for that?"

Schultz smirked, "Yah hey, you betcha!"

The three agents looked at each other, knowing exactly what the other two were thinking. Gideon was the one to vocalize it. "He's going to escalate, and fast."

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	5. Frustration

A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. Midterms. Joy.

Oh, and I already know there will be a delay on chapter six. I have several large projects coming up. I'll get it to you as fast as I can, I promise. Please to kill me for where I leave you until then.

Ann

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Five: Frustration

By Ann Parker

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"Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success." – Bo Bennett

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Sarah quietly exited Erin's hospital room, securing the door behind her. She had been with the teenager for a few hours now and hadn't gotten anywhere. Morgan, who was relieving the deputy standing guard for a few hours, lowered the file he was reading and looked at her.

"Anything yet?"

Sarah rubbed her neck and sighed. "No. I think I was close to getting her to at least say something – anything – when she suddenly started to sob. It took me a good half hour to calm her, and her mother, down. She's sleeping now." She sighed again. She knew why she was sent on these cases, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Well, she showed some emotion, that means you're getting through," Morgan offered. He could see the frustration on his partner's face and knew that the only way to remove it would be catch the unsub or call for the backup sitting in Quantico with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, neither of those looked like real options at this moment.

"I suppose that's true," she replied. "How did the rest do?"

"The main thing they know is that he's going to escalate. Hunting season's approaching and it'll be harder for him to slip in and out of the woods then."

Sarah shook her head, "Great. I'm going to get some coffee." Morgan nodded as Sarah headed down the hallway to the elevator. Caffeine was definitely going to be needed; she had a long day, and probably night, ahead of her.

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"Well, the town appears to be pretty shaken," stated JJ as she set down the folders from the local newspaper on the table in the conference room. "These attacks have all been big stories, and not just in the media. Everyone knows and everyone is talking about it. Erin's attack appears to have the entire town on edge." She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat down.

"Isn't dat a good thing?" asked the Deputy as he set a cup of coffee down beside her. She smiled faintly at him in thanks, appreciating the northern hospitality.

"In general, yes it is," replied Hotch. "The townspeople are going to take more precautions, which is going to make it harder for him to find another victim."

"Only in this case we already know he's going to escalate due to the hunting season approaching. Limiting his availability of potential victims will only make him more brazen, more dangerous," finished Emily.

Gideon sighed, "We need to get a profile and fast."

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Sarah sat down at an empty table in the small cafeteria, setting down her tray in the process. As she slid into the vinyl covered seating, she noticed the few glances she was getting from employees and guests of the hospital. Smiling softly to herself, she realized that everyone must have figured out just who she was. Apparently they weren't used to seeing FBI agents roaming their halls, which offered some comfort to her. She poured some creamers and a few sugar packets into her coffee and stirred. She had no more than taken a sip of said coffee and a bite of her sandwich when her cell phone vibrated at her hip. She noticed that people continued to watch her as she answered it without checking the caller ID.

"Riverson."

"Is there a reason why you're so formal with your husband?" Sarah smiled immediately at the sound of his voice.

"Sorry, I didn't look at the ID. I was watching the people watching me," she replied. Reid chuckled faintly in her ear. "Is this a business or a personal call?"

"Personal. I have nothing to add on the case at this point, unfortunately. I just thought I'd check in on you since I know how these cases can be," he replied. She could almost hear him run his fingers through his hair; it was one of his nervous habits. She knew he was always worried these cases would trigger flashbacks, but she had thankfully been fine since they had left her mother's grave about a year and a half ago.

"I'm fine, hon, just frustrated." She took another bite of her sandwich and a sip of her coffee. "Morgan said that the unsub is going to escalate and I'm not sure I can get through to Erin before we lose another girl," she added, her voice soft so no one could over hear her.

"Don't give up hope so fast. You got her to show some emotion, right? That might just be the break through you needed," he countered. Sarah sighed; she knew he was right.

"Wait…how did you know that?"

"Um…" She could hear him sigh, knowing he had been caught, and giggled. "Okay, Morgan called me just a minute ago. He could sense you were discouraged and thought I might be able to help."

"Oh really? And did he also tell you he's trying to figure out how to ask Garcia to marry him?" she countered.

"He's what?" Reid choked out. Sarah laughed as she ate a little more of her sandwich before standing up and throwing away the rest.

"You heard me. Make sure you keep your mouth shut. Morgan will kill me if you spill the beans," she teased as she grabbed her coffee off of her tray before filling another cup with black coffee for Morgan. She balanced the cups on top of each other as she walked out the cafeteria, noticing she was still being watched.

Reid scoffed, pretending to be offended. "Hey, I think I can keep a secret." Sarah had just about reached the elevator when he said that.

"Secret…" she whispered as she punched the button to the fifth floor. Something dawned on her. "I got to go. Love you."

"Love you too." Reid barely got that out before he heard dial tone. He starred at his phone as he snapped it closed and smiled faintly. Apparently, his phone call _had_ helped her.

Sarah tapped her foot impatiently until the elevator opened to Erin's floor once more. She spun around the corner to head back down the hallway to her room, ready to ask Erin some important questions. However, right as she was about to turn another corner she came upon Sheriff Kass and another gentleman. They appeared to be arguing, although they were keeping their voices down. Sarah took in this gentleman's appearance. He was wearing a black business suit and a dark blue tie to contrast the white shirt. His graying hair was cut similar to Hotch and he had a name badge hanging from his jacket pocket. Something about his demeanor gave her a weird feeling. She sighed as she approached the men.

"Sheriff, is there a problem?" she asked. The men turned to her and she could feel the icy stare from the other gentleman.

"Nothing that is any of your business, miss," he hissed, crossing his arms across his chest and covering his badge before she could catch his name. She did notice that he lacked the accent everyone else she'd encountered today had.

"Actually, she's an FBI agent so it is her business that ya want us to remove da extra security from Erin Jonas' room," countered the Sheriff, clearly annoyed.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, shocked. "May I ask why you would want to do that and why you think you have any authority to request this?" Just as she asked this, she noticed Morgan approaching from the other side. Good, it appeared she was going to need more reinforcement. This man didn't appear like the type that would respect female authority.

"This hospital has only the best security so there is no need for extra protection. Furthermore, having a deputy standing guard only makes all the other patients worry that there is a problem, which there isn't. And I do have the authority, miss, because I'm the Director of Finances and thus part of administrative staff," he stated, rather defensively.

Sarah tried to hide her annoyance. She should have known it was just another administrative head thinking he knew what was best. "I appreciate your concern for the rest of your patients, Mr.---"

"Reid. Director William Reid."

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	6. Secrets

A/N: Finally, right? I'm going to work on the next chapter this coming week during my break so hopefully it won't be too long. Once again, thanks for all the great reviews. Anyway, enjoy chapter 6!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Six: Secrets

By Ann Parker

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"Secrets are made to be found out with time." – Charles Sanford

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Sarah felt her knees weaken slightly right before one of Morgan's hands braced her back and the other grabbed the coffee before it was about to fall on the floor. She blinked a few times trying to get over the shock.

"Agent Riverson, are ya okay?" asked Kass. Sarah glanced at Morgan and he could easily tell that she wasn't. Not even close.

"I think it's just been a long day, Sheriff," answered Morgan for her. He then turned to William Reid, the man that had abandoned his best friend as a boy. "Director Reid, I'm Agent Morgan. We appreciate your concern for your hospital's reputation; however, until we have apprehended the perpetrator that attacked Ms. Jonas we believe she is still at risk. Only at that time will we consider removing the guard, understand?" All of this came out in a clipped tone.

William grunted in annoyance, "There is no need for that tone, Agent." It was then that Sarah regained her voice and, luckily for Morgan, her pose.

"We apologize. Please know we are doing the best we can and hopefully Erin will be able to go home soon and everything can go back to normal. Until that time, we would appreciate your support." Morgan watched as Sarah plastered a fake smile on as she spoke and he had to bite back a chuckle. She continued to surprise him. It was almost a shame that Reid hadn't been there to see that. Almost.

"Fine, thank you," William replied and walked away. Sarah's smile disappeared as soon as her father-in-law left. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Sheriff, can you excuse us for a moment?" Morgan asked. Kass nodded and Morgan lead Sarah into an empty patient room without any resistance. Without a word, she sat down in the chair by the wall and rested her head in her hands.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I have to tell him, right?" She looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him to tell her what to do.

Morgan sighed, "Has he ever expressed the desire to find him?"

Sarah leaned back, looking defeated. "No, but I can't not tell him. I can't lie to him."

"It wouldn't be lying, just omitting."

"Semantics, Morgan." She rubbed her eyes and sighed, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

Morgan remained silent for a minute, studying his partner. What could he say to help her? He couldn't believe they somehow stumbled upon Reid's long lost father. He was still reeling from this news himself, so he couldn't imagine what Sarah was going through. She was far more composed than he would probably be in her shoes. He didn't know what he would be doing, but he did know that they still couldn't afford to lose focus.

"Look, Sarah, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you can talk to Gideon about it. What I do know is there is a traumatized teenage girl across the hall that needs you to focus and help her. Can you do that?" She looked up at him when he finished and nodded. She stood up and headed to the door, and stopped with her hand on the doorknob and looked over her shoulder at the senior agent.

"You're right. Thanks Derek."

"Anytime, sweetness." She smiled at his attempt to cheer her up before turning and heading out the door. Morgan watched as she quickly entered Erin's room. His cell phone was in his hand not a moment later.

"Hotch, we've got a serious problem."

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JJ, Emily, and Gideon all watched as the usually stoic Hotch sank down into chair and rubbed his eyes as he talked to Morgan on the phone.

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Let's just say that Sarah got a glimpse of what Reid is going to look like in 20 or so years," Morgan answered.

Hotch sighed. "Great. Just try to keep her focused while I figure out what to do." He hung up and looked up at Gideon.

"What's going on, Hotch?" asked Emily.

"Riverson and Morgan just had an encounter with a director at the hospital that was unhappy with our presence," he started.

"Okay…I'm sure they were able to smooth over the situation," replied JJ. The girls noticed that Gideon was studying Hotch intently.

"Who was it, Hotch?" he asked quietly.

Hotch kept his eye contact locked with Gideon. "William Reid."

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Reid stared at the case files in front of him, frustrated. He never told Sarah, although he suspected she probably knew anyway, but he hated being the one left behind. Being partly out of the loop stifled his natural craving for information. He felt like he was walking alone in the dark, just hoping he would bump into a clue.

"The dark…" he mumbled, shooting out of his chair. He checked the dates of the previous two attacks before making a quick dash into Garcia's office, bursting through the door. He didn't even hear her small yelp from being startled, he was too focused on his idea.

"I need you to look something up for me," he rattled off.

Garcia slid over to one of her computers, "Challenge me, baby doll."

"I need you to pull up the lunar calendar for the last few months and compare the first two victims attacks." He leaned over her shoulder as she typed away.

"I said challenge me, genius." She retorted. "Got it."

"When were the last two full moons?"

"Um, August 10th and September 12th. When were the girls found?"

"August 12th and September 14th. Both appeared to be exposed to the elements for roughly two days before they were found."

Garcia looked up at him, "So…we've got a werewolf or something?"

Reid frowned, "Or something is for sure."

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Sarah took a deep breath as she entered Erin's room, trying to force herself to focus. She needed to help this young girl; personal issues were just going to have to wait. Erin's mother, Susan, looked up at their visitor while Erin looked away from her. It was so apparent to Sarah now. Part of the reason Erin didn't want to talk about the attack was because she was hiding something as well. Something they needed to know in order to crack this case.

"Ma'am, I need to talk to Erin again. Alone," she stated.

Susan stood up, crossing her arms. "I think you've done enough. Just leave her alone. If she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to."

Sarah walked over to the older woman. "I understand why you're upset, but she needs to talk about what happened in order to start healing," she offered, her voice soft.

"How do you know that? Maybe its just best if she tried to forget," Susan sighed.

"You never forget, believe me." Sarah paused for a second, letting her words sink in. "But you can move on. And the first step is talking about it and putting her attacker behind bars. Please, let me help her do that."

Susan opened her mouth to protest again. "Please, ma'am. I promise I'll take care of her." Sarah could see the distraught mother before her pause and then finally relent control.

Susan finally nodded, "Okay. Can I stay?"

Sarah gently wrapped an arm around Susan's shoulders and started to steer her to the door. "It would be best if you didn't. Trust me, you don't want to know the details." Susan sighed again, relenting, and left the room. Sarah then turned back to Erin. She took a seat before taking Erin's hand. The teenager turned and looked at her for a second before turning away again.

"Erin, you need to tell me what you're hiding."

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	7. The Arrival

A/N: I'm finally done with school!! So, updates should be far more frequent. Hope everyone has a good holiday!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Seven: The Arrival

By Ann Parker

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"You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity." – Epicurus

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"So what are you saying, Reid?" Hotch stated. Reid had been placed on the speakerphone just seconds prior and had already rambled off the information he had discovered.

"That's the problem, Hotch, I don't know," Reid replied. "Following a lunar calendar would suggest some sort of ritualistic killing, but nothing else in this profile fits that idea. There are no symbols at the crime scene, no wounds to suggest it, nothing."

"Then, what makes you think it's not just a coincidence?" asked Emily.

"That seems highly unlikely, but I can't be certain without seeing the crime scene myself," countered Reid. Hotch and Gideon looked at each other. They knew the young man probably did need to be on scene for this case, but the potential consequences were uncertain.

"I'll call in your plane and have Morgan pick you up," stated Hotch, relenting. "I'm sure Jack will be happy to see LJ again."

"Okay, see you soon." Reid hung up, not noticing the tone in Hotch's voice.

"Should we have Morgan brief him on the situation at the hospital?" asked JJ.

Gideon sighed, "That should really be Sarah's decision."

Hotch looked back up at the crime scene photos hanging on the bulletin board on the opposite side of the room. "Let's just focus on our job right now."

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"Hotch, are you sure that's a good idea?" Morgan couldn't believe it. He wasn't sure how Reid was going to handle this situation. Or Sarah.

"We don't have much of a choice, Morgan. He appears to be on to something and we need to crack this case fast." Hotch could hear Morgan sigh in reluctant agreement. "He'll be there in a couple of hours."

"What should we do about---"

"Let Sarah make that decision." Morgan sighed once more as he hung up and looked back at Erin's door. How was he going to tell her that she now had to tell Reid about his long lost father in the middle of all this?

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Sarah could see the look of fear and guilt in Erin 's eyes. It was so obvious now.

"Erin, I know you don't want to tell me, but it's important. If there is something about your story that you need to change, you won't get in trouble, but I need to know in order to keep you safe," Sarah stated, taking hold of Erin 's hand. "To keep your friends safe. The man that did this to you won't stop until my team and I catch him." Erin held Sarah's gaze and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Sarah quickly poured her a cup of water and offered it to her. The teenager took a quick sip before handing it back. "Please Erin."

"I wasn't supposed to be there." Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes and she reached out to Sarah. Sarah pulled Erin into her embrace.

"Be where? The bowling alley?" Sarah asked.

Erin shook her head violently on Sarah's shoulder. "I lied," she sobbed. Sarah stroked the girl's head, trying to calm her down when there was a slight knock on the door. Sarah could feel Erin hug her tighter, as if she thought the unsub was on the other side of the door.

Sarah turned slightly to see Morgan stick his head through the door and sighed. "Erin, it's okay, it's just my partner, Agent Morgan. Shhh, it's okay." Erin nodded and loosened her grip, but still held on to her.

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you for a second," Morgan stated, his voice very gentle in an attempt to not scare the teenager. Sarah nodded.

"Erin, I promise I'll be right back. I'll just be outside this door for a minute." Erin looked up at her, tears running down her cheeks. Sarah placed a hand on the side of the girl's face. "It'll be okay, I promise." Erin nodded and finally let Sarah go enough for the agent to climb off the bed.

She followed Morgan out of the room and gently closed the door. "What is it Morgan?"

Morgan sighed, he could tell she was annoyed that he interrupted and he was only going to make it worse. "Reid is flying out to join us. He has a theory about the time of deaths that requires his presence at the actual crime scenes."

Sarah sighed heavily. She should have known that would be the only reason for Morgan to interrupt. That or another victim. "Okay."

"What do you want to do about…you know who?" he asked.

"I'll tell him. Let me know when he gets here," Sarah stated, hardly waiting for Morgan to nod in response before heading back to Erin.

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He let out an exasperated sigh as he set his briefcase down on the desk near the front door and tossed his badge down on top of it, having forgotten to remove it earlier. He then removed his coat and loosened his tie before heading down the hallway to get a drink. Why was this bothering him so much? That look of immediate distain on those two agents' faces had been annoying him all afternoon. Sure, they acted civil, well at least the female did, but he could see the hatred in their eyes. Was it that wrong for him to want the rest of the patients and the staff to feel safe?

He reached the fridge and opened the door to find a drink. And that female agent...what was it? Agent Riverson. Why did she act so oddly when she heard his name? It wasn't because…oh god.

"Figures a bunch of FBI agents would have come into contact with that…thing. Hope he didn't do anything too drastic," he muttered to himself.

"What was dat honey?" William looked up after grabbing a beer to see his second wife entering the kitchen. She was wearing that red dress that he loved. The one that forced him to seduce her a few years ago while her husband was overseas in Iraq. It was a great day for him when that guy was killed in an explosion. The only draw back was that step-son of his. At least the kid wasn't as weird as surely Spencer was by now.

"Oh nothing. Just ran into some FBI agents today that weren't very friendly," he replied right before Carol gave him a quick kiss.

"FBI agents? They here for dat Jonas girl?" she asked.

"Yeah. What's for dinner?" he asked, changing the subject. He took a sip of his beer as she rattled off what they were going to eat, but he didn't really listen. All he knew was that he was going to find out why Agent Riverson reacted like she did. He needed to know, and he always got what he wanted.

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Sarah rubbed her eyes as she shifted in her chair next to Erin's bed. The young girl hadn't said much since Morgan had interrupted them and now she was sleeping. It was late, but she couldn't let herself leave. Not until she knew this girl was safe. She had sent Susan home to get some rest. Morgan had gone to pick up her husband and bring him to the hospital. Like she needed that distraction right now. How was she going to tell him that his father was here? She was worried that it would completely derail any train of thought he had about this case because there was so much emotional baggage involved.

"Hey." Sarah's eyes darted open as she spun around in her chair, her hand instinctually reaching for her gun, until she recognized the familiar figure by the door behind her.

"Hey," she replied as she stood and walked over to him giving him a quick kiss. "So your genius brain as discovered some clue, has it?" she gently teased as they quietly left the room.

Reid smiled, "yeah. At least I think I did. How are things going here?" He could read her eyes – tired, frustrated, and confused – and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. Since they were on a case and in public he couldn't do much more.

"Better I think. She's talking, but it's only coming out is bits and pieces that I haven't put together yet. That's why I'm staying with her tonight," she said, appreciating his touch.

"You should get some rest. The deputy working the night shift just got here; he can handle it," Reid stated. "I don't want you to get overworked."

Sarah smiled. "Okay, Gideon," she teased. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. I want to stay in case she wakes up and wants to talk some more."

Reid nodded; he knew he wouldn't win this argument anyway. "Well, I should get to the crime scenes. Anything else you need to tell me about this case I don't already know?"

Sarah gulped. Should she tell him now? He seemed so focused on the case and they couldn't afford to lose that. Maybe after he figured out this part of the puzzle, the part that only he seemed capable to put together. "Um, no."

She noticed Reid look behind her briefly, ensuring no one was looking, before planting a quick kiss on her. "Okay, good luck. Love you," he whispered.

She smiled, "back at you." He flashed her a quick grin before heading down the hall. She watched him meet up with Morgan. The senior agent glanced back at her and she shook her head. With an understanding nod, Morgan turned away and she headed back into Erin's room.

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He held the badge tightly in his hand, tucking it under his sleeve while he walked down a hallway. It was nearly one in the morning so he needed to make sure the staff didn't see him. Not that they would probably mind, he had already gained their trust. He slid the badge into the security lock on the door, allowing him access to the fifth floor. Peering around the corner, he noticed the young deputy reading a magazine while trying to stay awake. There were several empty cups by him. This shouldn't be too hard then.

It wasn't too long of a wait, maybe twenty minutes, before the deputy decided to get up to use the restroom. No one was there anyway so a few minutes won't hurt anyone. He hid in an empty room as he watched the deputy turn down another hallway before creeping towards her room. He couldn't believe that she had gotten away from him the first time. He had gotten too cocky and had loosened his grip on her, something he planned to rectify. Ever so gently, he opened the door.

What was this? Another person in the room; he forgot about the FBI agents that had shown up. He took a deep breath, noticing that she must have fallen asleep. That should make this easier. He crept closer, only to bump into something in the dark room. Something metallic fell, making a large clanking sound on the floor. The agent darted out of her chair, now awake and he had to react. He's blond goddess started to scream, but was too scared to run as he struggled with the agent. He managed to kick her on her left side and hit her on her head. She fell to the floor; not moving.

He looked at his real target and grinned. He might just have enough time. Grabbing a pillow, he moved towards her and started to hold in over her face as she struggled when he heard yelling and footsteps. Great.

"I'll be back for you, don't worry my sweet," he stated, caressing Erin's cheek as she gasped for air. He quickly ran out of the room and down an emergency exit as the deputy was almost to the room.

The deputy started to go after him when Erin yelled for his help. After hesitating, he ran into her room to find the girl hysterical and Agent Riverson on the floor with blood around her.

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	8. Panic and Fear

A/N: Once again, thanks for all the great reviews!! I'm glad so many of you are still enjoying this one since I've been taking so long to update. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that more regularly now!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Eight: Panic and Fear

By Ann Parker

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Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive -- the risk to be alive and express what we really are. – Don Miguel Ruiz

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"Hmm…" Reid was standing over the area were the first victim, Melissa, was discovered. They had already visited where Tiffany's body had been found.

"Got something yet? It's freezing," muttered Morgan, who had his hands shoved into his pockets. He was beginning to get fidgety, trying to stay warm.

"You're the one from Chicago and you're cold?" Emily teased, her breath visible in the night sky. Morgan glared at her, almost wishing there was snow on he ground to throw at her. But, then again, that would mean it would be colder. "Seriously, though, Reid. Have you found something?" she asked.

"It's strange," he replied. "It's like he's confused."

Morgan and Emily looked at each other. "Elaborate, genius," Morgan stated, forcing Reid to turn around and face them.

"I still believe that the unsub is using the lunar calendar as some sort of ritual, but nothing in these areas suggest anything to substantiate that. It's like he read a book on witchcraft of demonic practices and is just using parts of it to justify what he's doing," Reid rattled off even though Emily's phone rang in the middle of the explanation. After he finished, he noticed the shocked look on her face. Morgan noticed it too.

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, we'll be right there," Emily replied to the caller before hanging up. "Erin and Sarah were attacked at the hospital," she stated, looking only at Reid. Morgan's head snapped in Reid's direction as well, but hardly had time to focus on his best friend before Reid was running to their car. Emily and Morgan ran after him, Morgan barely beating him to the driver's seat.

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"Do you remember what happened?" Gideon asked, perched on the side of the patient bed they forced Sarah into after the doctor looked her over and patched her up. All she desperately wanted was to check on Erin.

"I must have nodded off somewhere around midnight because all I remember is hearing a clanking noise in the room. I jumped up, but before I could reach for my gun, we struggled and he hit me on my side. Before I had a chance to react, he hit my head. The next thing I remember is hearing Erin screaming my name," Sarah stated.

"Did you get a look at him?" Hotch asked.

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the panicked sound of her husband.

"Sarah!" Reid's voice called just before he found her room, pushing past anyone in his way. She could see the look of panic in his eyes as he took in her appearance. "What happened?" he asked, caressing her cheek as he sat on the bed. He would have almost been on top of Gideon if the senior agent hadn't moved. He took her in – a bandage around her forehead and one wrapped around her chest that went down to her waist. It was then that he noticed her blouse had been unbuttoned and was loosely wrapped around this bandage. He gently reached out to her side.

"Did he do more damage? And what happened to your head? Did they give you any pain medication? What kind?" he rattled off. He didn't notice the doctor, nurses, Sheriff Kass and the deputies all looking at the rest of his team, confused. Not that the BAU team noticed either.

"Spencer, I'm okay. The bandage is just a precaution; he probably only added some bruises. I just have a gash on my forehead. And I only let them give me some Tylenol. I'm fine," she replied, taking hold of his hand. The fear in his eyes was starting to worry her. She had been hurt worse in the past, but he never looked this panicked before, which scared her. "Spencer? What's wrong?" It was at that moment that both forgot about the rest in the room.

A few silent tears fell from his eyes as he took cupped her face with his hands before kissing her. "You can't scare me like this. You can't leave. LJ needs you to be there when…when I can't," he whispered. It was just barely loud enough for Gideon to be the only one to hear it besides Sarah.

"Okay, everyone out," Gideon stated, quietly. He gestured for everyone to leave, which they obliged. Not that Sarah or Reid noticed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, panic now reaching her voice. Was this what had been bothering him?

"I'm 27 now, Sarah. I'm a walking time bomb. Any day now, I'm going to have a hallucination or a delusion and it'll be down hill from there. LJ needs at least one parent to take care of him," he stated, finally letting go of the fear that he had been trying to bury for so long.

"Oh, honey," she whispered, pulling him into a hug, ignoring the shooting pain down her side. "Just because you're getting older doesn't mean that schizophrenia will develop."

He pulled back, looking in her eyes. She saw the terrified, little boy in his eyes that she hadn't seen since that first night at his apartment when Tobias was still haunting his dreams. "But it usually develops in young men between the ages of 20-28 and with the drug use…"

She cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. "I have a psychology degree, remember?" she teased softly. "There is also a good possibility that it will never develop; that you didn't inherit all the genes required. You need to think positive, Spencer. Or when we're old and wrinkly, watching our grandkids run around at the park I'll be making fun of you for this." She offered him a sweet, hopeful smile and taped his nose.

He couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping his lips. How did she always manage to calm him down? "And, if it should happen," she whispered, "remember I will always be there for you. We're in this together, through thick and thin. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her softly, falling in love with her all over again.

"Thank you for dealing with my freak out," he said and she smiled.

"Anytime." She winced, sitting up. "Now, get me out of this bed. We still have a serial killer to hunt." Reid shook his head as he helped her to her feet. She buttoned her blouse up some more, covering her bandage and they headed out of the room to find just about everyone else standing in the hallway. "Ah, sorry about that," she stated, looking at Hotch.

"Dat's okay, Riverson," Kass offered. "Who is dis young fella?"

Reid looked down, embarrassed. He had completely forgotten about protocol. "I'm Dr. Reid, Sheriff. I'm part of the BAU and Sarah's husband. Normally, we aren't on a case together."

Kass nodded, "Well, dat explains it."

"Sarah," stated Gideon, "can you describe the unsub?" They needed to focus back on the case.

Sarah shook her head, "Not really. There wasn't much light in the room, other than a small bedside lamp. Tall, strong, Caucasian, I believe his hair was dark. That's the best I've got."

"Hey, I think I have something," yelled Morgan from Erin's room. They all came to the doorway.

"Where's Erin?" asked Sarah, worried that Erin had been hurt more then what they had told her.

"We had her moved to a new room," Hotch stated. "JJ and Emily are with her now." Sarah nodded, sighing in relief. They turned back to Morgan, who was pulling something out from underneath the bed.

"It looks like a hospital staff badge," he said as he was getting up.

"Would explain how he got up on the floor," supplied Gideon. "What's the name?"

Morgan spun the badge around so he could see the picture and name. "Oh my god," he whispered.

"What is it, Morgan?" asked Reid. He was now more determined then ever to catch this guy. He grabbed a glove out of his pocket and took the badge from Morgan before he could be stopped. When the face registered in his head, he almost fell backwards.

"Will—William Reid?"

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	9. Misplaced

A/N: Yay for application hell. I have to have all my paperwork for grad school/internships in by the fifteenth. After that, things should move much faster in fan fiction world. Thanks for sticking with me everyone! I will really make an effort to update more frequently since we have entered rerun hell now as well.

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Nine: Misplaced

By Ann Parker

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Elizabeth Kenny once said, "He who angers you conquers you."

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"Well, dat's da fella dat Morgan, Riverson, and I had to deal with yesterday," Kass stated, not connecting the names at that moment.

Reid turned slowly on his heels and looked at his wife. Sarah saw the look of hurt, anger, and sadness consuming his brown orbs. "I was going to tell you, I just couldn't figure out how to and you were so focused on the case. I was worried you'd get distracted, rightfully so, and I didn't think we could afford to lose ---"

"Just don't. Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" he asked, before he walked past all of them, handing the badge to Hotch.

"Spencer," Sarah cried, grabbing his arm. He yanked it away, walking off. She tried to run after him, but the sharp pain in her side made her stop and gasp, resting her hands on her knees. Morgan helped her up as Gideon went after his surrogate son. Hotch rubbed his eyes. How did they lose all control of this case?

Kass took in the scene before him and everything started to connect. "Is dat young man related to Director Reid?"

Hotch turned to the sheriff and sighed. "Director Reid is Spencer's father. He abandoned him and his mother when he was ten years old."

"And now he's our number one suspect," added Morgan as he guided Sarah to a chair in the hallway. At that moment JJ came around the corner and surveyed the scene. Sarah was wincing in pain with Morgan at her side. Hotch had a grim look on his face while holding a badge of some sort. Kass looked bewildered and Gideon and Reid were nowhere to be found. What had happened since she's gone upstairs?

"I'm sorry, Hotch. I should have told him when I had the chance. I just never ---" Sarah inhaled sharply, pain cutting that statement short. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, trying to manage it while not showing her weakness.

"You gonna make it, sugar?" Morgan asked softly, concerned for the woman he considered a little sister.

Sarah nodded and turned to Hotch, "I understand if you want us off the case."

"JJ, tell Emily we need her. We have to bring William Reid in for questioning," Hotch stated, ignoring JJ's shocked expression and Sarah's previous statement. "I need you to make sure this doesn't get to the press; we don't want the public to think we're bias in this investigation. And Morgan, call Garcia and have her run a background check on Director Reid."

Morgan nodded, "Should I stay with Sarah?"

Hotch nodded, "Good idea. The unsub is bound to find out that she's alive and could possibly ID him, now making her a possible target." He looked at Sarah, "You are no longer to be left alone, understand?"

"Hotch, I can take care of myself," Sarah countered.

"I'm not going to argue with you on this, Agent Riverson. Either Morgan stays with as protection or you are off the case. Since Erin seems to trust you, it would be in her best interest if you choose Morgan," Hotch stated, the stress of the case and everything circling around it catching up to him.

Sarah nodded after a moment, relenting. She knew it was both in the best interest for both Erin and herself. Sarah slowly stood up, heading towards Erin's room, with Morgan and JJ following her.

Hotch turned to Kass. "I apologize for how disorganized we appear."

Kass tipped his hat, "Well, it's not everyday dat an estranged father becomes a murder suspect, I imagine." Hotch cracked a small smile, appreciating that Kass understood. "Just promise me we'll catch dis monster."

Hotch nodded, "Oh, I promise."

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Reid stormed out of the hospital, fully aware that Gideon was following him. He didn't care at the moment. He just needed to get away and clear his head.

His father.

His _father_ was here.

And had apparently attacked his wife and was a serial killer. His life just couldn't be normal, could it?

He felt the crisp wind at his back as he walked away from the hospital and the sun peaking over the landscape. He headed towards the body of water that was the town's namesake. As he approached it he smirked at how the calm lake seemed to be the exact opposite of his emotions right now. He was shocked to see that name, the ghost that followed him everywhere. He was angry that no one had told him about it. But mostly, he was hurt that Sarah, the one that finally made him feel at home – at peace – couldn't tell him. He trusted her completely, even more than himself. Why didn't she tell him?

Just as his thoughts were about to consume him, he heard a small twig crunch under a foot behind him. "Why? Why couldn't she tell me?" he asked, not turning around.

Gideon stepped closer, now at his side, and faced the lake as well. "I'm not sure, son. But leaving her while she's in pain and trying to explain herself probably won't get you an answer."

Reid looked at Gideon, a little taken aback by that response. "You would take her side," he whispered before turning to walk away.

Gideon quickly reached out and turned his surrogate son back to face him. "I'm not choosing anyone's side, Spencer. I'm simply answering your question. You won't get the answer you want until you talk to her."

Reid sighed, casting his eyes down. "I don't know if I can face her right now."

"Fine, but don't misplace your anger," Gideon stated, earning him a questioning look from the younger man. "Yes, she didn't tell you, but she was only worried about you. Don't stay mad at her when the real person you're angry at is the man that abandoned you as a child and is now suddenly back."

-------------------------------------------

"I can't believe we're about to do this," stated Emily as she followed Hotch and Kass up to William Reid's front door.

"Well, when have ever we had a textbook case?" replied Hotch. Emily nodded as Kass knocked on the oak door. A few moments later, a woman in a robe appeared at the door, confused.

"Well, cripes sakes. Sheriff, what ya doin' here? And so early in da mornin'?" she asked, opening the door wider to let them in. She eyed Hotch and Emily, but didn't say a word.

"Sorry to wake ya, Beth, but is William around?" Kass asked. Just then, the man in question came down the stairs. He was already getting ready for work, but hadn't finished buttoning his shirt and his tie was still loose. Normally, he'd never let anyone see him so unkempt, but these weren't normal times.

"What is the meaning of this, Sheriff? And who the hell are they?" he demanded as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

Hotch and Emily pulled out their badges, "Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotcher and SSA Emily Prentiss with the FBI. I'm afraid we need you to come down to the sheriff's office with us for a few questions."

"Why the hell would I need to do that? Just because I didn't approve of your agents turning my hospital into a spectacle?" He stood his ground even though he could see the anger in all three sets of eyes on him.

"Because we found your hospital badge at the scene where Erin Jonas and Agent Riverson were attacked. Now come with us voluntarily or we'll cuff and take you with us anyway," replied Emily, annoyed.

"What? I didn't attack anyone. This is preposterous!"

Hotch placed a firm grip on William's shoulder and started to move him towards the door. He was tired of arguing with this man. "We'll find out down at the station." Realizing he was going to win this argument, the elder Reid finally relented, although he wasn't very happy about it.

Beth stood stunned as she watched the FBI agents and the sheriff take her new husband away, unaware of the figure lurking in the other room watching it all unfold.

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	10. Piecing it Together

A/N: Wow...I didn't realize it had been that long, sorry everyone!! My beta reader moved, got married, and had to spend some time with her husband before he shipped out for 6 months so I didn't harass her for this chapter right away. On the plus side, however, I am ahead on the next chapter and she is working on it right now so I know it won't be more then a week or so. There's only a few more to go!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Ten: Piecing it Together

By Ann Parker

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Sophocles once said, "One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life: that word is love."

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When Sarah reached Erin's new room she was immediately met by Susan. The older woman was distraught with the latest development and when her eyes landed on the agent that was supposed to be protecting her daughter, and all her anger and frustration came out.

"Ya were supposed to protect her!" Susan came storming up. "How could ya let dis happen?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Our security measures failed, but it won't happen again," stated Morgan, instinctually stepping in between the two women.

"Dat's right, it won't. Erin is coming home wit me. My husband and I can do a better job dan your agents," she stated, glaring at Sarah.

Sarah knew she couldn't let that happen, no matter what Susan thought of her. She stepped around Morgan, "Respectfully, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care what ya think, Agent Riverson. You're the reason Erin got hurt again. She would've been fine if I had taken her home wit me like I wanted to," Susan yelled. "I don't want ya around my daughter anymore, ya hear me?"

"No!"

Everyone stopped and turned to the teenager in the hospital bed, stunned by her outburst. Her mother was the first to speak again, her voice much softer now. "Erin? What's da matter, hon?"

"Don't send Sarah away, mom. It's not her fault!" she exclaimed before tears started to fall. "It's not her fault. It's mine."

Sarah brushed past everyone until she reached Erin's side. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone with him. I should have stayed with my friends at the bowling alley, but he was just so mysterious and older…" The young girl babbled as she hugged Sarah, salty tears running down to the corner of her lips. "I didn't know. I didn't know."

-------------------------------------------

Gideon had given Reid some space to process everything that had happened by heading back towards the hospital. His heart went out to the young man he considered a son. From what he had heard earlier, Spencer was scared about becoming ill. He knew that it could be sparked by a stressful event and was worried that his father would cause just that. Yet confronting William Reid could also be beneficial; it could help him finally move past that feeling of abandonment. These thoughts were consuming him when the shrill of his phone echoed in the cold air.

"Hotch."

"We have William Reid in custody, but we haven't gotten any information out of him other then he doesn't know how his badge ended up there," Hotch replied.

"Has he asked for a lawyer?" Gideon asked, not noticing Reid was steadily closing the gap between them.

"No. He says he doesn't need one. If we don't get something more out of him soon, we're going to have to let him go. His badge is only circumstantial; it's not enough for a search warrant or an arrest."

"Let me at him. I'll get him to talk," stated Reid from behind, causing the senior agent to spin around.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Reid," Gideon countered.

"Gideon, he won't answer your questions because he thinks all of you are of lower intellect. And if he does, he will only belittle you. He knows I'm smarter than him; I was when I was ten. Plus, just seeing me will unrattle his cage," Reid argued.

"It's a good plan, Gideon," Hotch stated in his ear. "If you think he can handle it, that is. It's your call."

"Thanks Hotch." Gideon hung up his phone and looked at Reid. "Are you sure you can deal with this?"

"He attacked my wife, Jason," Reid pleaded. "Or at the very least, he knows who did. Please."

Gideon sighed and against his better judgment he nodded. "Okay, but I'm going in there with you."

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"I was beginning to think you had found some snow bunny up there and forgotten me, sweetness," Garcia purred into Morgan's ear. He had stepped outside of Erin's room to let Sarah and Susan talk with her. He knew his presence worried the young girl. It was going to take a long time for her to recover from this.

"Never in a million years, sexy," he countered. She could hear the smile in his voice and it caused her to sigh softly to herself. Some days she still couldn't believe that Sarah and Reid had gotten the two of them to confess their feelings. "Um, did I lose you?" he asked when she didn't say anything for a minute.

"Sorry," she quickly replied, straightening herself in her chair. "Hit me with your best shot."

Morgan chuckled slightly, "I need you to look up everything you can on William Reid."

"What? Are you kidding?" she asked, stunned. "What does my boy's sorry excuse for a father have to do with anything?"

"He works at the hospital. We found his badge in the room where Erin and Sarah were attacked," he sighed.

"WHAT?" Garcia had jumped out of her chair. Morgan had to pull the phone away from his ear as she began to rattle off a bunch of questions. Apparently, no one had informed her about events from earlier that morning.

"She's fine, Pen. Just a slight cut on her forehead and he aggravated her side," he stated, trying to calm her down.

"I need to talk to her," she stated, concerned about her best friend.

"She's in with Erin right now, probably cracking the case. I need you to focus, baby girl, and get me that information. You can call her afterwards."

Garcia sighed, sat back down, and started typing away. "Okay, William Reid. Born on June 13, 1958 in Carson City, raised by Lonnie and Helen Reid; honors student throughout school. Went to UNLV where he met Reid's mom, Diana. Married shortly after college and had our boy. Worked as an accountant at the local hospital and started to work his way up before abandoning his wife and son in '92 and moved to Fort Worth, Texas. He lived there until 2001 when he moved to Wisconsin and assumed the Financial Director position at West Lake Hospital. Married his wife, Beth Duncan, in '04." Garcia paused, "Huh." All the information about the Duncan family popped up and stopped her.

"What is it sugar?" Morgan asked, feeling a little uncomfortable knowing so much about his friend's family, details that Reid himself didn't even know.

"Beth's former husband, Mike, was in the National Guard. He died in Iraq earlier that same year. It was only a few months later that she married William. Which means…"

"The son of a bitch seduced her while her husband was overseas? Class act," Morgan muttered.

Garcia nodded as she continued to pull up more information. "I'll say. Can't imagine that went over well with their seventeen year old son, Greg."

Morgan straightened, "He has a step-son? What do you have on him?"

"Let's see. Gregory Duncan, now 21 years old. He just barely made it through high school, looks like he was a C student and then when his dad went overseas he was barely making it. The lowest in his class. He now works part time at the bookstore. Hmm…"

"What? Did you find something?" Were they finally on the right track?

"I found a site with his picture on it as the creator that is dedicated to demonic practices and witchcraft. I'm sending you the picture now," she stated.

Morgan smiled, they finally had a lead. "And that right there, sweetness, is one of the reasons why I want to marry you." It came out before he could stop it, but as soon as he did, he felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Real smooth, Derek, real smooth. This was not how he had planned it.

Garcia almost fell out of her chair when those words hit her ears. "Wha…what did you just say?"

Morgan cleared his throat and uncharacteristically, panicked. "Um, nothing. Talk to you soon." He hung up and took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he had just blurted that out. He needed to try to shake that last moment off. He had a job to do.

Garcia sat there stunned for a moment before jumping up and squealing. He wanted to marry her! Although she knew he'd apologize later and try to do it more formally, to her this was perfect. They spent so much time flirting and teasing over the phone that it made sense for him to ask over it. Unable to sit back down, she did a little dance in her office with her precious babies watching.

The beeping of his phone, signaling that Gregory's image had been received pulled Morgan back and he slowly entered Erin's room once more, finally refocused.

"I don't really even know his name, just his nickname of Gremory. He was just so cute and different from the guys in my class. I couldn't stop myself from going with him," Erin stated. She looked over at her mother. "I'm so sorry, mom. I'm so stupid, I should have told you."

"Oh, honey," Susan sighed, holding Erin's hand.

"Erin, it's not your fault," Sarah countered. She heard Morgan enter and turned to him. She could see his phone in his hand and realized he had something. "Erin, would you recognize him if we showed you a picture?"

The teenager nodded, "Yes."

Morgan walked over and showed her Gregory Duncan, William Reid's stepson. "Is this the man that attacked you?"

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Emily sighed as she exited the room where they were holding William Reid. He was impossible for her to crack. If it weren't a serious situation, she'd smile. It reminded her of when they'd try to play poker and no one could crack Reid.

"Go get some coffee, we're taking over," stated Gideon, snapping her out of that train of thought. She looked up and saw him approaching with Reid.

"Good luck," she replied. She watched as Gideon entered the room, but Reid stopped and waited.

William looked up to see an older man enter the room. He was about the same age as himself. "What, are they sending the old timer in an attempt to get you to relate to me?" he asked, sarcastically.

Gideon smirked, "Actually, I'm here to be your protection."

William snorted, "From what?" He watched as the door swung open once more as a tall, slender figure walked through the door. As the face came into focus, he couldn't believe his eyes. Gideon watched all the blood drain from William's face. Maybe this would work after all.

"From me, _dad_."

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	11. The Confrontation

A/N: I realize Reid might seem a little OOC in this chapter, but I figured seeing his dad might have that effect and the Reid in these stories has been changed by Sarah anyway so…

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Eleven: The Confrontation

By Ann Parker

--

Charles R. Swindoll once said, "We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."

--

"Sp-Sp-Spencer?" William sputtered. He couldn't believe his eyes. This was one of those rare occasions where he was caught off guard.

"What's the matter, dad, cat got your tongue?" The amount of venom dripping off of each word even caught Gideon by surprise. Never in his life had he heard that tone in Reid's usually kind, soft-spoken voice. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Reid didn't notice the concern in Gideon's eyes, however. He was too focused at staring down the man that abandoned him. That made him become an adult when he should have still been a child.

William cleared his throat, determined to not let this get the best of him. "No, no, I'm just shocked you're still walking the sheets."

Reid let out a slight laugh as he took a seat across from his father, setting down the folder he had brought in with him. "Funny, considering you're the one under investigation."

William leaned forward beginning to enjoy the cat and mouse game that was developing. "Of which I'm completely innocent of and you know it. You just got your buddies to humiliate me and damage my reputation out of spite. Although how you got a job in the FBI is beyond me. Did you lie about your family history? How is your schizo mother, by the way?"

Reid slammed his fist down on the table. "The wife you abandoned is fine, no thanks to you. The 10-year-old boy you abandoned is part of an elite group of profilers for the FBI and has a wife and child despite how his father treated him. We made it without you, dad. You were weak. You couldn't handle that the perfect little family you wanted wasn't to be. You didn't want to handle your wife's illness and your genius son intimidated you. So you sulked away and tired to find the perfect family to replace the one you left. Did you find it? Do they know about the one you left behind? Do you think they will still love you when they find out?"

Now William was just angry. "You leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this!"

Reid smirked; he had control of the situation. He could tell he had hit a nerve with the last question. "Oh, but they have everything to do with this. When did your new wife stop doing it for you? Two years ago? One year?"

"What are you talking about?" William looked at Gideon. "What is he talking about?" Gideon played dumb and simply shrugged.

Reid stood up quickly, causing his chair to make a screeching sound against the floor. "How long did it take you before you needed to go after innocent teenage girls?

--

Sarah could see the look of terror in Erin's eyes as she looked at the photo. "I know this is really hard, but I need you to vocalize if this is the man that attacked you or not," she stated gently.

Erin nodded, "That's him." Sarah quickly handed Morgan his phone back and he left the room to call Hotch. When she made eye contact with Erin again, it was as if the flood gates opened for the teenager. "He's into witchcraft and things liked that. I met him at the bowling alley and he asked me if I wanted to go up to some cabin his dad used to own where he practices the craft. I knew I shouldn't go, but he was cute and different from the other guys at my school. All they ever care about is football and hunting. So I told my friends that I wasn't feeling well and was going home. When we got to the cabin he offered me a soda." Erin paused, catching her breath.

"Did you drink it?" Sarah asked, urging her to continue.

"Only a few sips. It tasted really weird, like flat or something. He showed me a few things and then I started to feel really tired. I told him I needed to go home. He seemed fine and said he'd walk me home. Only we took this really weird way through the woods and I wasn't really sure how close to town we were. That's when he…"

--

"I didn't attack those girls!" William exclaimed.

Reid silently opened the folder and set down photos of each of the victims - Melissa and Tiffany's bodies and then Erin's photo after she arrived at the hospital. "They were only sixteen, dad. They had their whole lives ahead of them. You had to take that away from them, didn't you?" Gideon and Reid both watched William turn away from the photos in disgust.

"I didn't do that," he stated, much quieter now, almost broken.

"But you know who did, don't you? Is that why you attacked Erin and my wife? You didn't want Erin to tell her who raped her, who tried to kill her, so you had to take them both out?" Reid asked; his voice much quieter now, an eerie quiet.

William looked up at him. "You're married to Agent Riverson?" Reid nodded and William turned away, now talking to himself. "That's why she reacted that way. I thought she didn't like me because I was doing my job."

Now Reid was confused, "You attacked her because she didn't like you?"

William shook his head, looking at his son once more. "No. I didn't attack her or Erin, Spencer. I honestly don't know who did this." His façade of a cocky, know-it-all was crumbling before them. The tone in his voice reminded Reid of that fateful day when he said he was sorry before walking out of room and out of his life. All the pain from that moment came rushing back to him.

"Why should I believe you? After everything you've done, why should I believe that didn't do this?" His voice wobbled a little bit, the interrogation starting to turn to another topic. The topic that Reid had wanted to discuss for seventeen years. Unfortunately, it was cut short when Hotch busted through the door.

"I don't," he stated, setting down a copy of the photo Morgan had sent him. William looked down at it and his jaw dropped open.

"Gregory? You think he did this?" he asked, looking back up at Hotch.

"We know he did. Erin Jonas just told Agent Riverson. We know he took her up to a cabin in the woods. A cabin his father used to own. Where is it?" Hotch demanded.

William cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the situation, and his façade started to build back up. "She must be mistaken. He couldn't have done this and I won't help you persecute my family because of the grudge Spencer has against me."

Reid refocused and pulled out more photos of the girls, showing their numerous bruises and wounds. "This has nothing to do with me. This has to do with finding the person that did this to these girls. It's about Erin, a 16-year old girl, who had her innocence taken away from her. She watched the agent trying to protect her get hurt and almost lost her life a second time, but still has the strength to speak out against her attacker. She's the one that has identified your step-son. Help her."

William straightened his tie and stood up. "It is a shame what happened to those girls, to Erin. But I don't believe Gregory is capable of such an act. I will not help you. Now, I don't believe you have anything to keep me here, so if you'll excuse me." He walked right past Hotch and headed for the door. He paused at the doorway, turned and looked at Spencer. For a moment, Gideon thought he was going to finally say what he knew the young man needed to hear, but instead he simply turned back around and left.

For Reid, it was too much. He slowly sat back down in his chair and put his head in his hands. The feeling of abandonment, again, was starting to overwhelm him and Hotch and Gideon could both see it. This confrontation was completely backfiring on them in the worse possible way.

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	12. Uncertainty

A/N: Again, thanks for all the great feedback. Just a few more chapters to go! Also, I have a poll up on my page that I'd love you all of you to answer. It's regarding what you'd like to read after this one is finished. I'll be starting grad school in the fall and I'm going to work my hardest to cover the two main options, but I may only get to one. I want to know what everyone really wants to read the most in case I only get to one in the near future. Thanks!

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**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Twelve: Uncertainty

By Ann Parker

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Jennifer Aniston once said, "The greater your capacity to love, the greater your capacity to feel the pain."

--

"We need to figure out where this cabin is located," stated Hotch, trying to focus on the case. They needed to find Gregory before he took another victim or went after Erin once more and they needed to do it fast. Gideon nodded in agreement, but he knew Reid needed to take a step back from this case at the same time.

"Reid, why don't you go back to the hospital? Relieve Morgan from standing guard at Erin's room. You might be able to get more information about the location from her. Hotch, call Garcia and see what she can dig up. Send Emily, Morgan, and JJ back to the Reid house. I'll work with the sheriff to get a search warrant. If we can't, maybe JJ can talk his wife into letting them in," Gideon stated. Hotch nodded, but Reid didn't move. He was still trying to process everything and, unfortunately, the team didn't have time to allow for that. "Reid," Gideon repeated, placing a hand on his shoulder, finally getting the young man to look up at him. "Go see Sarah – help her with Erin."

"Okay," Reid agreed, in a haze. He even forgot that he was still mad at her. He stood up and headed out the door, but was met by Emily in the hallway.

Hotch immediately noticed her. "Take him to the hospital to relieve Morgan. I need you to go with Morgan and JJ to the Reid household and wait for a search warrant, unless you can talk Mrs. Reid into letting you in willingly."

Emily nodded, "On it." She could tell Reid was still out of it so she placed a hand on his arm and guided him out of the room. Hotch waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Gideon.

"You think he's going to be okay?" he asked, concerned for his fellow agent, his friend.

Gideon sighed, "I hope so. That's why I sent him to her."

Hotch looked down at the photos on the table. He hoped he had made the right decision leaving Reid and Sarah on the case. "You know that Strauss is going to have a field day with the personal conflict going on here."

"Let's not worry about that now. Let's catch this guy and get home." Gideon patted Hotch on the arm before heading out the door, more determined then ever.

--

Sarah sighed as she took a seat on the small couch in Erin's room next to Morgan. It was just minutes earlier that she had calmed Susan down and sent her back home. After Erin finished detailing the rape and how she escaped, the young girl broke down, exhausted. Sarah calmed her down and got her to go back to sleep. She then had to comfort Susan, who decided to trust her again after the way she handled everything. They finally had quiet, which Sarah needed in order to think everything through.

"Um," Morgan started, causing Sarah to turn and look at him. His unusual awkwardness, even more so than their previous conversation, made her raise an eyebrow.

"What did you do?" she asked.

He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I accidentally proposed to Garcia over the phone," he mumbled.

Sarah had to put a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter at bay. "Did she say 'yes'?"

"I kinda hung up before she could reply," he stated, still looking down.

Still grinning Sarah sighed. "Well, this should be interesting when we get home. But, for the record, I think she'll say 'yes.' And, over the phone seems fitting for you two. That's how your relationship started." Morgan looked up and smiled when there was a soft knock on the door. Both immediately stood up and Morgan took the lead, slowly opening it with his hand on his gun just in case.

"Hey," Emily greeted, causing Morgan to open the door wider. "We need to get to the Reid residence." At this point, Sarah was also in the doorway. Emily gestured to Reid, "he's going to relieve Morgan. I think he needs you."

Sarah walked through the door and over to her husband. Reid looked into her eyes and she could see the pain. Frowning, she took a hold of his hand and started to pull him into the room. She looked at Morgan, "Call us if you find anything."

"Same to you," he replied. He then left with Emily and she closed the door to Erin's room. She led Reid over to the couch and had him sit down. Taking the seat next to him, she pushed some of his hair out of the way and caressed his cheek.

"Spencer," she whispered. When he turned and looked at her, she was expecting tears. What she got was her hand pushed away and anger in his eyes.

"You should have told him you met him! I wouldn't have come here; I wouldn't have seen him. I wouldn't have confronted him and confirmed that he hates me, that I'll never be good enough," he rattled off as he stood up and began to pace.

"You're right and wrong," Sarah replied after a minute, trying to remain calm as he was becoming frantic.

He stopped pacing and looked at her. "What?"

She stood up and walked over to him, making sure she locked eye contact. "You're right that I should have told you; I should have prepared you. I'm sorry. I meant to tell you when you came to see me, but I just…I just didn't know how. But you're wrong in that you shouldn't have confronted him." He opened his mouth to object, but she just kept going. "You need closure, Spencer. It may not end the way you had imagined, but you need to find a way to accept the past. If you don't, you'll never be able to move past it. _We_'ll never be able to move past it."

"What if I don't want to?" he asked, every word laced with anger and frustration. He couldn't seem to stop himself from taking out some of his pain on her.

She didn't blink an eye, however, and continued. "Don't do it for you. Do it for LJ. You will never be the best father you can be to our son if you can't move past this," she replied. Erin stirred in her sleep, causing Sarah to leave him before he could reply. Leaving him alone with his thoughts.

--

Consumed by thoughts of wedding plans, Garcia almost jumped when her phone rang. A smile crept across her face as she answered it – without checking the caller-ID first.

"Of course I'll marry you, stud," she purred.

There was a slight pause before the caller replied. "I'm flattered Garcia, but I think Hailey might be upset. Not to mention the fact that Morgan would probably kick my ass," Hotch stated with a grin.

Garcia sat up in her chair, highly embarrassed. "Oh, Hotch, I'm sorry. I, ah--"

Hotch laughed, "I don't think I even want to know." He was grateful for the laugh, however. He greatly needed it.

"Right. What can I do for you, oh fearless leader of mine?" she asked, her fingers hovering over her keyboard.

Hotch smiled once more at his title. "I need you to look up everything you can on Gregory Duncan and the location of a cabin in the Duncan family. That's where he's taking the girls."

Garcia started to type away as she informed Hotch what she already knew from talking to Morgan. "But the stuff on his site is pretty tame. All the information about the demons he mentions can be found all over the internet. Even his name is generic. Gremory is a strong Duke of Hell that governs twenty-six legions of demons. He tells all things past, present and future, about hidden treasures, and procures the love of women, young and old, but especially maidens. He probably just looked up demon names on Wikipedia that sounded like his own."

"Is there anything in his blogs? Anything that would indicate why he's doing this?" Hotch asked.

"I'm just scratching the surface on reading those over, but I'll let you know as soon as I as I find anything. Oh, and I can't find any record of a cabin in the Duncan family. Either it's under another name or it's not legally owned," she replied.

Hotch sighed; they just didn't seem to be able to get ahead on this case. "Thanks."

--

"Do you think Reid is going to be okay?" asked JJ to Emily and Morgan. They were sitting in a SUV outside of the Reid residence, waiting to hear if they had a search warrant. They had tried knocking on the door to see if Beth would let them in, but no one answered.

"I don't know. He seemed pretty shaken after he interrogated his father," Emily replied.

Morgan turned to her, "He did what?"

"He helped Gideon and Hotch interrogate his father," she repeated. Noticing Morgan's upset expression, she added, "It was his idea, Morgan."

Morgan shook his head. Now he was even more worried about his best friend then he had been. That was not how he thought their first meeting should have gone. He opened his mouth to state just that when the Sheriff's car pulled up behind them and Kass and Gideon got out. All three hoped out of the SUV.

"Nobody's home," JJ informed.

Gideon started past them, "I don't care. We have a warrant and we're going in."

--


	13. Hurt

--

**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter Thirteen: Hurt

By Ann Parker

--

"Love, to be real, must cost - it must hurt - it must empty us of self." – Mother Teresa

--

"I'll just kick down the door if I have to," muttered Morgan, ready for this case to be over with.

"I don't dink dat will be necessary," replied Kass, walking ahead of the group to reach the door first. He simply turned the doorknob and they were soon standing in the entryway. All looked at him, "What? It's a small town, no one locks da door."

"Something tells me that's going to change," stated JJ as they began searching the house. Gideon and Morgan headed upstairs and found Gregory's room. Morgan let out a slight whistle as they surveyed the area.

"I think Reid was right about the unsub just starting to study witchcraft and demonic practices," he stated. Looking around, there were piles of books on the subjects, some posters, and piles of dark clothing. Yet they were mixed in with photos of Gregory with his dad, Green Bay Packers memorabilia, and some issues of Maxim laying on the floor – things you would typically find in a 20 something's room living in Wisconsin.

"What made him change from a normal teenager into a rapist and murderer?" Gideon asked, more to himself than Morgan. They continued to look around, trying to find a clue as to where he was.

"Clearly, they are trying to pretend to be a happy family," stated Emily, coming around the corner. "There are pictures everywhere of William and Beth at different events, happy and in love. But Gregory is no where to be seen. I don't think he approves of his mom's new life."

"That might just be what caused him to turn to these practices. He loses his father in combat and then his mother quickly remarries another man, someone he clearly doesn't like. It's like a form of teenage rebellion," commented Gideon.

Morgan raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, if raping and strangling teenage girls is what you call teenage rebellion."

--

Luckily for Erin, she had easily drifted back off to sleep or she would have felt the tension in her hospital room. Sarah watched as her husband sat on the couch, twirling a pen in his nimble fingers and tapping his right foot. She could tell he was trying to work things through in his mind and she figured it was best to let him be. Which meant it was up to her to try to make the breakthrough on the case. She taped up a map of the woods and marked where the girls had been found and where they believe Erin was attacked. They looked to like they could form a triangle.

"Demonic practices...symbols," she mumbled to herself, trying to spark something. She sighed, knowing that she was going to need his help. She turned around and looked at him, "Spencer." No response. "Dr. Reid, I could use your help solving this case." She watched as he darted out of his chair and came just inches away from her.

"Is that all you care about? Solving this case? What about your husband being in pain? Do you even care about that? Do you even know how it feels to have a parent that doesn't care if they inflict pain on their child?" he rattled off without even thinking. He couldn't think straight; his rage at his father consumed his otherwise rational thinking.

Sarah inhaled sharply, stunned and hurt by his outburst. She took a step back and glanced at Erin, grateful she was still asleep. She then looked back at him, fighting back a few tears. "I don't know…?" she couldn't even get the whole question out, but just looked at him. It was seeing the pain in her blue orbs that caused it to hit him – what he had said – and snapped him back into reality.

"Sarah, I --"

"I need some air. Stay here with Erin. I think Gregory has some sort of pattern to his sites, maybe you can figure them out," she cut him off before walking out the door.

Reid groaned, angry with himself. He could be such an idiot sometimes. He just couldn't get himself to control his anger and pain that had resurfaced when seeing his father. He turned to the map, hoping to see what she was talking about. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to refocus. When he opened them again he slowly ran his finger from one point to the next as if seeing the pattern for the first time. He pulled out his phone.

"Hey sweet pea, what can I do for you?" greeted Garcia at the other end.

"I need you to lay a pentagram over the map of where the girls where found, making them the points. We're still two points short, but did anything come up that would suggest who are his next two victims?" he asked.

Garcia started to work on the map as she answered, "Um, sorta. I just found that he mentions something about needing the strength to overpower Berith, another Duke of Hell, and his bride. Do you know who he's talking about?"

Reid's eyes widened, "Do you have the map done?"

"Is your wife gorgeous?" she teased.

"Garcia."

"Jeez, no humor. Yes, I do. What am I looking for?" she asked, posed and ready to search.

"There should be a cabin located somewhere in the center of the pentagon of the symbol. He's trying to channel the power from killing these girls to his main location, his sanctuary. It has to be located there," he answered. He pulled the map down, ready to mark the location. Just then, Sarah walked back into the room with a cup of coffee. She had collected herself, and pushed her feelings aside. They needed to solve this case already. She was about to speak when she noticed Reid circle a location on the map. "Thanks Garcia." He hung up the phone and started out the door, rushing past her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To put an end to this," he answered as he darted down the hall. Sarah sighed as she watched him run away. She was glad he made a break through, but would have liked to have been clued in. She also didn't like the idea of letting him go somewhere without backup, but she couldn't leave Erin alone.

She walked back into the room and pulled out her phone. "Garcia, what did you just tell him?"

"Well hello to you too," Garcia replied. "I told him the location of a cabin that would appear to be the center of a pentagram that the locations seemed to form. Why didn't he just tell you himself?"

Sarah sighed, "He apparently hasn't been telling me a lot of things lately. Anything else?"

"Just that Gregory's blog seems to indicate that he's after another demon and his bride," she stated.

Sarah's eyes widened, just as had Reid's moments earlier. "Oh my god, he's going to kill his mom and Spencer's dad. Did you tell the rest of the team yet?"

Garcia now started to panic, "No. Did I just send Reid after his step-brother alone?"

"Not if I can help it. Email Morgan the location, I'll call Gideon right now." Sarah quickly hung up and dialed once more.

--

Gideon glanced down at his phone as they were getting ready to leave the Reid household, finding nothing that would lead to Gregory's location. "Sarah. Erin has another clue?"

"God, I hope so," muttered JJ. The team continued to walk along until they noticed that Gideon had stopped. They turned to see him with a mortified look on his face.

"How long ago did he leave? We're on our way!" He hung up and started to dash to the sheriff's car.

"What the hell, Gideon?" asked Morgan.

"Reid figured out the location and that Gregory's going to kill his mom and step-dad. And now he's gone off alone to stop it. Garcia should have emailed you the directions. Let move!" he replied. Everyone glanced at each other as they rush to the two vehicles, hoping they would be able to catch up before it was too late.

--


	14. Good Enough

A/N: We're nearing the end. I'm going to leave the poll up for what to write next until I post the last chapter, so please go vote if you haven't yet. Also, if you have any ideas for plots, feel free to send me a message or leave it in a review. I may not go with it, but it might help give me an idea, which I need right now. :)

--

**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter 14: Good Enough

By Ann Parker

--

Dave Mustaine once said, "Moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard."

--

Reid slowed his vehicle down as it reached a dead end on a dirt road and climbed out; the cabin about 50 yards away. He drew his weapon as he began to sneak up the small hill to the back door. He heard a woman scream and ran faster, afraid he was going to be too late. Just as he was about to climb the stairs he could hear them talking.

"Gregory, why are you doing this?" the woman pleaded. Reid could tell it was his mother talking, trying to understand why her son had turned against her.

"It's Gremory and just shut up!! You're the whore that betrayed father for this!" The back door was open a crack and Reid could see that Gregory's hunting riffle was now pointed at his own father, who was beaten and bleeding on the floor. All were turned away from him. He knew he needed to make a move and fast.

"Gremory, this is the FBI, you don't want to do this," he yelled, slowly opening the door a little more to have a better shot at him. The young man spun in his direction and that's when Reid realized that he didn't have a vest on. Great.

"Get the hell out of here! If it weren't for you I would have already completed my task," Gregory replied.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Gremory. You see, not only did you attack my wife at the hospital, but that's my father on the ground that you are about to shoot," Reid stated.

Now Beth and Gregory looked at him with confusion. "His son? William said he didn't have any family," Beth whispered.

Reid shrugged, "There's a shocker, right, dad?" William only groaned, which was quiet enough for Reid to hear the faint sound of sirens in the background. "You see, Gremory, I can't let you shoot him because if anyone has the right to do so, it's me. I'm the one he abandoned with his schizophrenic mother when he was ten. I'm the one that even after all these years, he still hates because I intimidate him." As he spoke, he continued to inch closer. He could see that Gregory was slowly lowering his guard.

"Is that true?" he asked.

Reid nodded, "All of it. Look, I know he's hurt you. I know you're angry that your mom married him right after your dad died. I get it, Gregory, I really do. But this manifestation into a demon, taking it out on innocent girls…its just your way of masking your pain for losing your dad and your resentment towards your mother. At least you know he loved you. Mine probably wouldn't care if you shot me right now if it meant you didn't shoot him." He was now just inches away from Greg. He could hear the rest of the team making noise in the woods and knew they would soon be there. "Don't do this, Gregory."

The young man glanced at William, lying on the ground, and then his mother before looking back at Reid, his resolve faltering. He lowered his gun, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"FBI!" Morgan yelled, busting through the front door. Gregory, startled, turned in Morgan's direction and Reid took that moment to disarm him. "Down on the ground!"

Gregory did as he was told and Morgan quickly came over and cuffed him. Gideon, right behind him, took the shotgun from Reid. "Good work, Reid," he commented.

Reid nodded, "Thanks. I think Mr. Reid over there needs some medical attention." Even in the chaos, Gideon noticed the icy tone of Reid's voice. Before Gideon could respond, Reid walked over to Beth. "Ma'am, we need to get you examined. Can you walk down to the road?" he asked, his voice back to his usual friendly, gentle tone. A tone none had heard since he came out to join this case and found out about his father.

Beth looked at him and nodded slightly, still in shock. She started to walk, but her left ankle gave out and Reid had to catch her. "I've got you, its okay. Here, lean on me and I'll help you." Gideon, fascinated with the scene in front of him, completely missed that JJ and Emily had a paramedic attending to William Reid and that Morgan and Kass had taken Gregory away. He simply watched as Reid helped Beth out of the cabin and down to the waiting paramedics before grabbing his phone.

--

Sarah was trying to keep herself from pacing in Erin's room, needing to be calm for the teenager, who was now awake and very alert of what was going on. So was Susan, who had shown up shortly after Reid had left. At first she had been very agitated to see Sarah had been left alone with her daughter again, but she calmed down when Sarah explained they were en route to capture the attacker. She knew that the rest should have gotten there before Spencer had gotten himself in trouble, but that didn't make her feel better until she knew for sure. Just then, a sharp knock at the door made her jump slightly. She drew her weapon and headed to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Hotch, Sarah," was her answer. She quickly opened the door to reveal her superior. "They've got him in custody; he even confessed when Morgan put him in the back of Kass' cruiser." He looked over Sarah's shoulder at Erin. "You're safe now, Erin. You can go home." Erin smiled for the first time since they had arrived and hugged her mom. Hotch looked back down at Sarah and whispered, "Reid's fine too."

Sarah looked at him and nodded, "Thank you." Hotch nodded as Sarah turned to hug Erin goodbye. He sighed to himself, knowing there was going to be a discussion when they got on the plane.

--

Reid and Beth made it to the road and he helped her into an ambulance to be looked over. "Thank you," she stated. He nodded and began to turn away. "Wait a second," she called. He looked back at her, knowing what she was going to ask.

"I'm afraid that really was all true. There is a side to William Reid you don't know." He dug out his wallet and pulled out one of his cards, quickly writing down his personal contact information. He climbed into the ambulance and knelt down by her. "Don't let him run away from you without answers. You deserve to know. But if you ever need to reach me, here's my information," he added, handing her the card.

"Thank you…"

"Spencer. Dr. Spencer Reid," he supplied.

Beth smiled, "Thank you Spencer." He nodded and headed out of the vehicle just as they finished wheeling his father down. He hesitated, but chose to walk over by him. The rest of the team tensed as they watched on.

"How bad is he?" he asked a paramedic, ignoring his father's eyes that were staring up at him.

"A few cracked ribs and some cuts and bruises. He should be fine in a few days." Reid nodded and started to turn away.

"Spencer," William croaked, causing him to turn back. He walked over to him and looked down at his father. "Thank you for saving my life."

"I did what I had to in order to disarm him, to keep him from shooting your wife or myself, and to bide time until the rest got here. I didn't do it for you," he replied. "Because for once in my life, I don't care what you think. I've been spending my whole life trying to get you to love me, to approve of me, and I've finally realized that I don't care anymore. I don't need it. I finally know that I'm a good person, not matter what you think of me. As far as I'm concerned, you _did_ die back in that cabin." He began to walk away, but stopped, and turned back. He bent down so he was mere inches away from his father's face. "And if I find out that you abandoned your new wife when she's going to need you to cope with this I will hunt you down, even if it's the last thing I do. You hear me? For once in your life, be there when someone needs you."

William nodded, unable to respond due to the emotions consuming him. He wasn't prepared for Reid's sudden, although justified, outburst. Reid stood up and looked at him once more before walking away for good. He headed to his car, only to be met by Gideon. Gideon patted him on his shoulder and took the keys from him. "Let's go home, son."

--


	15. Whatever it Takes

A/N: The song in this chapter is borrowed from Lifehouse.

--

**Through Thick and Thin**

Chapter 15: Whatever it Takes

By Ann Parker

--

Natalie Cole once said, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is to love and be loved in return."

--

Hotch stood by the exit of the plane, waiting for the rest to arrive. He glanced at his youngest agent, who was resting on the couch after having just hanging up with Hailey to check up on her son. She was lying on her good side, trying to avoid agitating her already aggravated bad one. He could tell she was in pain – physically or mentally, he couldn't be sure. And he had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to make it any better. They weren't even back in Quantico yet, but he knew Strauss was going to have a field day and demand changes.

Frowning, he exited the plane when he saw the SUV and police cruiser pull up. Everyone exited their vehicles, the remaining team grabbing their bags, and Sheriff Kass and his deputy walking in his direction.

"Where's Sarah?" asked Emily.

"Resting. She hasn't had much sleep since we got here so I ordered her to the couch," Hotch replied.

Morgan grinned, "Good. She's earned it."

Hotch turned to Kass, "I apologize for how…unorthodox things went in this case."

Kass shrugged, "Ya got me da killer without another body, dat's good enough for me. Thank ya very much. Please tell Agent Riverson dat too."

Gideon nodded, "Will do." Hotch and he shook Kass' hand and everyone turned to board the plane.

"Oh, Dr. Reid," Kass called, stopping them. Reid turned around and walked over to the older man. "Dat was a brave thing ya did today."

Reid shrugged, "I was just doing my job, sir."

"I didn't mean with Gregory, son. I don't know your whole story, but I know it was difficult for ya to confront your father and get closure. Ya should be proud of yourself. I can tell your team is," Kass replied.

Reid smiled faintly, "Thanks Sheriff."

Kass patted him on the arm, "Don't mention it. Now, go give your wife a kiss, she could use one." Reid nodded and turned back to the rest. Gideon smiled at Kass, who tipped his hat in response. Everyone boarded the plane, Reid the last to do so. He looked down at Sarah just as she cracked her eyes open. She looked at him for a second before turning her head and closing them again without saying a word. Reid sighed, expecting that, and took a seat next to Morgan.

"Boy, what did you do?" asked Morgan, noticing that interaction. So did everyone else.

Reid ran his fingers through his hair before resting his chin in his hand. "I took my anger out on her and effectively stuck my foot in my mouth," he muttered, ashamed.

JJ shook her head, "You'll think of a way to make it right. I'm sure she understands."

"I hope so," he whispered as she studied his wife's form. A part of him knew that he had had a right to be angry with her. She didn't tell him about meeting his father. Yet, he also know she was just trying to protect him and it still didn't excuse what he accused her of. She was right; he needed to move past all this to be a better father to LJ. A better husband to her. He needed to find a way to apologize for his harsh words and how he acted. But how? He sat there, thinking, while the rest got back into their routine activities on the plane. It wasn't until about an hour into their flight that it hit him. He climbed out of his seat and walked over to her, grabbing her bag. As he tried to find what he was looking for, Sarah's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a slight amount of annoyance in her tone.

He pulled out her iPod at that moment and looked down at her, "Someone's got to play the song for the case if you're not." She raised an eyebrow as he took her iPod and docked it to the stereo in the plane. The whole team watched as he scrolled through her music to find the song he was thinking of. When he found it he pushed play and then headed back to her. The melody started to play as he knelt down by her face and started to gently sing along.

_"A strangled smile fell from your face  
It kills me that I hurt you this way  
The worst part is that I didn't even know  
Now there's a million reasons for you to go  
But if you can find a reason to stay…"_

Sarah smiled slightly as he sang, knowing the words as well. Slowly, she tried to sit up, but winced in pain. He quickly moved to help her up and took a seat by her as he continued with the chorus.

_"I'll do whatever it takes  
To turn this around  
I know what's at stake  
I know that I've let you down  
And if you give me a chance  
Believe that I can change  
I'll keep us together whatever it takes."_

She pushed some of his hair out of his face with her hand and slid it down to his heart before singing the next verse. To the rest, it sounded like the song had been written for them.

_"She said 'If we're gonna make this work  
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts  
Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see.'  
She said 'Like it or not it's the way it's gotta be  
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me.'"_

A few tears slid down both of their faces. Reid continued to sing along, emphasizing this section.

_"I'll do whatever it takes  
To turn this around  
I know what's at stake  
I know that I've let you down  
And if you give me a chance  
And give me a break  
I'll keep us together_

_I know you deserve much better._

_But remember the time I told you the way that I felt  
That I'd be lost without you and never find myself  
Let's hold onto each other above everything else  
Start over, start over."_

Sarah caressed his cheek and sweetly kissed him as the song finished. The rest of the team smiled at the scene. Emily and JJ fought back their own tears. Morgan and Hotch both thought of the women in their lives. Gideon had the biggest smile, glad to see his children made it through probably one of their hardest patches.

_I'll do whatever it takes  
To turn this around  
I know what's at stake  
I know I've let you down  
And if you give me a chance  
and believe that I can change  
I'll keep us together whatever it takes_

"I'm so sorry," Reid whispered.

"Me too," Sarah replied. "Me too. I should have told you about him from the beginning. I just..."

Reid kissed her softly, "I know. And you were right; it was time to move past all of this for LJ. For us. And, I think I finally can." Sarah smiled as he pulled her to him. He hugged her tightly; relief washing over him that things were going to be okay. That he was going to be okay.

When he squeezed a little too hard he heard her breath hitch. The rollercoaster of emotions that had accompanied the events of the last few days weighed down on him with that sound. Everything with his dad, his anger towards the team and with himself, when he thought he lost her…

Reid dashed out of his seat and hurried to the kitchenette, grabbing an ice pack out of the small freezer. He quickly sat back down beside her and gently pressed it on her side. "Here, you need to rest," he stated, his voice low. Sarah could see those emotions filling his eyes. She took a hold of the ice pack, positioned him on the couch, and then climbed into his lap. She then wrapped his arm around her and placed his hand on her side once more to help hold the pack in place.

Reid looked at her, confused. She pulled his head towards her shoulder, "Through thick and thin, remember?" she whispered. Reid smiled, and took comfort in her touch as she ran her fingers through his hair. He knew eventually all of these emotions would probably resurface, but just holding her would help him keep it together for now. It would take a little time for everything to digest, but he finally felt some calm in his heart that he hadn't experienced since the day his dad left.

After a little while, Gideon spoke up, "Well, everything seems to be back in order, finally."

"Well, not quite," commented Hotch. The team turned him.

"What do you mean?" asked JJ.

"A few things will need to be sorted out when we get back. First off, Morgan, I have a message from Garcia. I believe the direct quote was, 'Of course I'll marry you, stud,'" Hotch grinned. Morgan's jaw dropped. Emily, JJ, and Reid looked confused, but amused. Gideon simply smiled. Sarah busted out laughing.

"When did you propose?" asked Emily.

Still giggling, Sarah answered for him, "Over the phone earlier. See, I told you she would say yes no matter how you asked. Although, I don't remember recommending over the phone." Morgan chucked a pillow at her, making her giggle more.

Reid looked at her, "You knew?"

Sarah nodded, "He was trying to figure out how. I told him how you asked, which of course only grossed him out." Reid got a much needed laugh out of that.

JJ smiled, "God, I can see her planning the ceremony as we speak. You think she'll wear a typical white dress?"

Emily shook her head, "When has Garcia ever done anything traditional?"

Hotch stood up as the group continued to plan Morgan's wedding for him, much to his annoyance, and got a cup of coffee. After he filled it, he took a seat by Sarah and Reid. Both looked at him and they knew what the second thing was.

"We're going to be separated, aren't we?" asked Reid.

Hotch sighed, taking a sip before answering, "When this report comes across Strauss' desk, I'm afraid she's going to demand it. I knew we were already on thin ice with having you both on the team after you got married, but considering the personal connections in this case, I don't know if I'm going to be able to find a loop hole to keep you both."

"What about Garcia and I?" asked Morgan. The rest of the team had quieted down when their superior had started talking, unbeknownst to him.

Hotch turned him for a second, "I don't think that will be a problem since, as an analyst, she should be at the office and not out in the field – that's where the complications really arise."

"I think I have a solution," Sarah stated. She looked at Reid, "I was going to talk to you about this later, but I think I work better with the living than with the dead."

"What are you saying?" asked Reid.

Sarah sighed, "Working with Erin made me realize that I would rather counsel the victims, help them move past it, instead of chasing down the bad guys. I think I want to pursue furthering my psychology degree and go back to school. Plus, I don't think it's fair to LJ, or Hailey, if we keep leaving him with her."

"Are you sure? Because I could probably find some teaching job with my degrees," Reid offered.

Sarah shook her head, "No. You belong with this team. I'm fine with just being the spouse of one of the BAU's stars." Reid kissed her briefly. "And, I'm less likely to get myself hurt, which apparently I'm skilled at doing, and that will keep you and Pops back there calmer." The team giggled at her comment about Gideon, who was shaking his head.

Hotch looked at her, "So you want to resign? I could probably get you transferred to another position at the bureau."

Sarah nodded, "I'll think about the transfer, but I think it's best if I leave the team. Now, if you need my input, off the books, I could probably do that." Hotch smiled and nodded.

"Aww, I'm gonna miss my little sis," commented Morgan, who promptly got his pillow tossed back at him.

"I think you'll be seeing more of me then you think, Morgan. With my free time, who do you think is probably going to be your wedding planner?" Sarah teased. Morgan groaned, getting laughs from the rest and effectively turning the conversation back to the impending wedding. Reid knew she did that on purpose and kissed her forehead. She looked up at him and smiled.

"So you're positive about this?" he asked softly.

She nodded, "I'd been thinking about it before I met Erin, but she made it clear to me that a career at the BAU is not what was meant for me after all. This will allow me to be there for LJ and for you, through it all." She smiled slightly and added, "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"No more running off by yourself after killers, okay? If I get a phone call from Hotch saying you got hurt because you ran off again without backup, I'll kick your butt, you hear me?" She smiled as she said this, but he could tell by her eyes that she was serious.

"She's not the only one," added JJ, having overhearing the last part. Morgan nodded too.

"I promise," he replied, looking at all of them. He then just focused on her. "I promise."

She smiled. "Good. Love you." Reid grinned and kissed her again. He knew at that moment that no matter what was thrown at them, they'd take it on together.

--

**The End**

--

Relax – there's an epilogue coming! Did you think I'd end it without Morgan and Garcia's wedding? I would never do that to you! Also, I'm leaving the poll open until I post the epilogue so if you haven't voted, do so now!!


	16. A Beautiful Thing

--

**Through Thick and Thin**

Epilogue: A Beautiful Thing

By Ann Parker

--

"The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart." – Author Unknown

--

"She is such a beautiful bride," commented Hailey as she took a seat next to Sarah at the reception. Hotch was right behind her and set down a piece of cake for his wife and himself.

Sarah turned and smiled at them, "I know. When we saw that dress in the shop, I knew it was meant for her." They all glanced back out at the dance floor, where the bride was trying to get Reid to do some new dance moves. Garcia was wearing a strapless, tea length dress that flowed out from her hips. The hot pink ribbon that wrapped around and tied in a bow in the back created a beautiful empire waist that accentuated her curves. Her hair was pulled back with matching pink chop sticks, with a few loose curls framing her face. Her open toed high heels match the ribbon to complete the outfit. It was stunning and had Penelope Garcia-Morgan written all over it.

"What is she trying to get him to do?" asked JJ, taking the seat on Sarah's other side. Garcia was attempting, and failing, to get Reid to do a fast dance. He was fumbling all over himself, but he was laughing and having a good time. LJ, just barely two, was hopping up and down by them, almost more coordinated than his father. He now had a full mop of hair like his dad and it was shaking all over. Jack, now five, was dancing with them as well.

Sarah shook her head, "I'd rescue him if my feet didn't hurt so much." A kick to her stomach made her grimace, "Although it feels like someone is trying to join her dad and brother." She rubbed her pregnant belly, already a good size for being just barely six months.

"How are classes going with that distraction?" asked Hotch. "Aren't you nearing the end of your masters program?"

Sarah nodded, "I hope to be finishing up right around when Di is expected to join us. I might have some things to wrap up with my thesis though. I'll then take some time off before I work on my Ph.D. Dr. Sheppard at the bureau said he'd be happy to take me as an assistant while I work on that and then hopefully hire me as one of the bureau's psychologists."

Morgan and Emily, who had been talking to his sisters, headed over to the table. "I think it's time for the dance, if you're up for it," Morgan said to Sarah. She nodded and took his offered hand to stand up. Reid noticed that she had gotten up and got LJ and Jack off the dance floor. Morgan headed over to Garcia as Sarah made her way to the DJ, who handed her a microphone.

"If I can get everyone's attention," Sarah stated and everyone quieted down. "It's time for the bride and groom's first dance as a married couple. When they asked me sing the song, I had only one requirement. That I got to pick it." Everyone laughed slightly, particularly the team. "And when Pen said she didn't care if it was traditional or not, I knew just the song. So, Derek and Penelope, this is for you two. I think it describes your relationship perfectly. Hopefully, as time goes on, you'll still give people something to talk about." As the beat kicked in from the Bonnie Raitt classic, Morgan spun his bride around before they started to dance. Sarah smiled as she began to sing.

"_People are talkin', talking 'bout people  
I hear them whisper, you won't believe it  
They think were lovers kept under covers  
I just ignore it, but they keep saying  
We laugh just a little too loud  
We stand just a little too close  
We stare just a little too long  
Maybe they're seeing something we don't, darlin_.'"

Gideon, who had now joined the table, smiled. "She certainty had a knack for picking the most appropriate song, doesn't she?" Before anyone could respond, LJ had climbed into his lap and distracted him. Reid smiled at the scene before looking back at his wife and the happy couple. You could tell that the pair was enjoying the song and each other.

_"Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
How about love?"_

_"I feel so foolish, I never noticed  
You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?  
It took a rumor to make me wonder  
Now I'm convinced I'm going under  
Thinking 'bout you every day  
Dreaming 'bout you every night  
Hoping that you feel the same way  
Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin.'"_

Sarah beamed as she sang, watching her friends dance. It had been about a year and a half since they got officially engaged – Morgan took Garcia out to dinner and asked her properly – and since everything had started to change. After coming back from Wisconsin, Reid and she had a long discussion. There had been tears, laughter, and everything in between, but they were able to put everything that had occurred officially to bed. She left the team shortly after that and started school again. It was an adjustment for everyone, but it worked out for the best, particularly after she found out she was pregnant again. Little Diana Rose came as quite the surprise to them, but it only made their bond stronger.

_"Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
How about love?""Let's give them something to talk about  
A little mystery to figure out  
Let's give them something to talk about  
How about love, love, love, love?"_

_"Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
Let's give them something to talk about  
How about love?"_

Morgan twirled and dipped Garcia as Sarah finished the song, receiving applause from everyone. When Garcia was back on two feet, she gave him a big kiss. "I love you, sugar," she whispered.

Morgan grinned, "You know I love you, mama," he replied, kissing her once more. Garcia giggled as they separated, still amazed that she had the man she wanted for so long. A fast song started up and Sarah made her way back to her husband and son.

"Mama, you sing good!" exclaimed LJ as he ran up and hugged her legs. Sarah bent down and kissed the top of his head.

"Thanks baby," she whispered. "Hey, why don't you take Jack and ask your aunts Emily and JJ to dance?" He nodded and smiled before running over to Jack and then the girls.

"Dance with me?" he asked JJ. Reid smiled at the scene. Jack then asked Emily and soon the four were out dancing with the bride and groom.

"Want to cut a rug?" Hotch asked Hailey and they too were soon out on the dance floor.

Sarah smiled as she took a seat facing her husband. Gideon was sitting behind Reid. "Nice moves you got there," she teased.

"Just you wait, someday I'll surprise you with a foxtrot or something," he teased back. She slipped off her shoes, grimacing, and he could see she was in pain. He bent down, plopped her feet in his lap, and started to rub them. He smirked as he saw her close her eyes and moan softly.

"Oh my god, I love you," she stated.

Reid laughed, "I should hope so, that's my second child you're carrying over there." Sarah smiled as she rested her hand on her stomach, her eyes still closed.

The two didn't notice their adopted father sitting there with a smile on his face. Gideon was taking in the scene before him with great happiness. He remembered the day he first met Spencer at one of his guest lectures. The young man was so eager to learn more that he kept talking to him for almost two hours after the lecture was over. As he got to know him, he learned more about his past. He was so proud that day back in Wisconsin when he stood up to his father and finally moved past all the pain. The fact that he also hadn't had any episodes to suggest he was following in his mother footsteps was an added bonus. Everyone knew in the back of their minds that there was still a chance, but as time went on they all got more hopeful that he would be just fine.

He then studied Sarah. How he met her was quite the opposite. To see her smiling and happy made his heart soar. He never told her, but it was partly her case that made him willing to continue working. Her college graduation photo and wedding photo were always tucked in the back of his book of those he rescued. It was victims like her that made the horrors he saw everyday worthwhile. To know that there can be a happy ending in their lives made all the pain go away. He was so wrapped up in his own little world that he didn't even notice that Sarah was now standing next to him.

"Jason, you with us?" she asked, snapping him out of his haze. He looked up at her and smiled. "Care to dance?"

"I thought you were in too much pain," he stated.

She took a hold of his hand and pulled him up, "I think I can manage a slow dance." Reid smiled as they walked onto the dance floor. He hardly had time to reflect on the pair before Garcia was pulling him out of his chair as well. Morgan was dancing with JJ, Emily was with Hotch, and Hailey was entertaining the boys. It was one of those rare moments for the team where everyone was smiling, laughing, and having a good time. Sarah smiled at Gideon, "So what were you so deep in thought about earlier?"

Gideon simply shrugged, "It's just nice to see you and Spencer so happy. To see the team so happy." He spun her around and grinned at her giggle.

"Just being a proud papa, then?" she teased when she was facing him again. Gideon shook his head at her comment.

"Are you teasing him again?" Reid asked, now next to them with Garcia. Sarah just grinned as an answer. "Want me to take her off your hands?"

"Oh, sure," Gideon replied. "I haven't danced with the bride yet anyway." Garcia smiled as she danced away with Gideon, leaving Reid with his wife.

"Needed me to yourself?" Sarah smiled as he took her in his arms. Reid stayed quiet as they dance for a minute in content silence.

Reid twirled her and smirked when he pulled her back. "Just wanted to see your face when this started to play," he finally responded. Just then, a new song started up. Sarah recognized it right away and smiled. It was a slow love song with a simple beat that he knew made her smile whenever she heard it. Even though it wasn't well known, it was one of her favorite songs because she thought it described their relationship, particularly after everything they had gone though. She giggled slightly as she planted a kiss on him.

_In the morning_

_I was weary_

_In the morning_

_I was lost_

_But in the evening_

_I was dreaming_

_Of our love_

_And the way it carries on_

_In the city_

_I was working_

_Feeling busy_

_Chasin' time_

_But when I'm tired_

_She's my fire_

_Cause I know that her love is always mine_

_She assures me_

_That when life hurts me_

_Our love will carry on_

"Trying to get lucky?" she purred teasingly, causing him to blush. He knew that she knew this would have involved bringing the song to the DJ and she appreciated his effort to make her happy. She kissed him softly once more as they danced, the tempo picking up a bit.

_In the afternoon_

_I was worried_

_About the future and where I'd go_

_But when I'm thinking_

_My fears start sinking_

_Cause I turn to the love I've always known_

_She assures me_

_That when life hurts me_

_Our love will carry on_

Sarah pulled Reid's hand down to her stomach and a grin flew across his face. "Someone has the same musical taste as her mom," he commented as he felt the kicks.

Sarah nodded, "She's been very busy tonight."

Reid placed a light kiss on her forehead, "Love you."

_"Love you too."_

_La la la la la_

_La la la la la_

_Oh oh oh oh_

_Yeah_

_She assures me_

_That when life hurts me_

_Our love will carry on_

_She assures me_

_That when life hurts me_

_Our love will carry on_

_Our love will carry on_

_It will carry on_

_Our love will carry on_

_Our love will carry on_

_Our love will carry, carry on_

_Our love will carry on_

The pair finished dancing to the song, completely forgetting the rest of the group existed for a few moments. Sarah has started to sing along as they swayed to the rhythmic beat. Gideon and the rest simply smiled as they watched them. After everything they had been through, they were still going strong. Even with the ups and downs, their love made it possible to continue on. Sure, there would undoubtedly be more hardships in their future as well, but everyone knew that they would make it to the end.

And just knowing that was quite a beautiful thing.

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**The End**

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A/N: The songs in this chapter were borrowed from Bonnie Raitt and Kyle Riabko. I'm pretty sure everyone recognized Bonnie's song, but since Kyle Riabko isn't very well known, I wanted to post a link for you to hear it yourself. However, since the site doesn't seem to like links being posted, I can only give you part of it. If you go to youtube, you can either search for it and it should pop up OR add this after .com of the site: /watch?vCLXzz30CCgk

Thanks for all the great reviews for this story! Also, thank you for sticking with me…I didn't intend for this to drag on as long as it did. Thanks to my beta, you know who you are! Looks like another CM/Numb3rs crossover is what everyone wants next. I'll see what I can come up with. I probably won't start posting it until I have a fair amount finished, just so I can update more regularly like some, understandably, also asked for. I'm heading into graduate school so we'll see how that goes.

I don't foresee there being a part four to the Sarah series, unless some mad inspiration hits me. I quite like how this ended so it will probably stay that way. But you never know, Sarah is what sparked the need to start writing Criminal Minds stories in the first place and we all know how many have come since then!

Thanks again to all my readers! I hope you enjoyed how this one ended!

Ann Parker

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